A Broken Life and A Desperate Soul
by t3ars0fglass
Summary: Much had changed since their last stay in the Enchanted Forest. The towns were dead, and the lively singing and dancing was no more. The places were still the same, but no one had occupied them in years. It didn't seem like the Enchanted Forest, but nothing seemed to remain the same anymore. There was no portal home, there was no magic hat. Only a broken life and a desperate soul.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: Okay, so this is my first venture into the Evil Charming world. Yay! This idea has been eating me up inside for like ever. I just finally got off my lazy butt and wrote it. Some of this chapter is completely canon one hundred percent with the series, because I kind of needed the back story, but the rest won't be. PROMISE. This is kind of just the prologue. I guess. **

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing OUAT…. Sadly. **

Regina sat on the small cot in the cell of the sheriff's station as she waited for some sign that someone was coming back for her, that she wouldn't die alone. It was selfish thinking, really, but why should no one hear her last words even as her soul was being sucked from her body? Why should she die without letting Henry know she loved him one last time? It struck her painfully when she realized that no matter what, he would never believe her, but it was still important to her that she said it to him once more. Regina continued to stare at her hand as she thought. A dark mark had settled, leaving in its path a painful burn that stung every time she moved her fingers. She could feel the wraith getting closer, and she knew she didn't have much time left, for her soul would soon be damned to an endless void.

The lights began to flicker, and Regina stood. If she was going to die, she was going to leave with the last bit of pride she had left in her. "Hello? Who's there?" Her voice seemed to command itself, as it came out far more distressed than she had wanted. The black clothed figure revealed itself to the woman. Even in all of her years as The Evil Queen, she had never truly felt fear, not this fear. Knots tied in her stomach, and Regina faced the monster strongly. Everything moved in slow motion, the sounds were quiet, except for the low and hollow screams of the souls that had been condemned to the horrible fate, and she could barely make out the outline of someone trying to help her. So someone had come after all? That was nice, but she feared it would be too late until she felt herself return to her body.

It took a moment, but Regina gathered her surroundings from her place on the floor. She gasped for air and clung to the bar to help hoist herself up. Barely, over the sound of her breathing, she heard someone ask her something.

"What was that?"

It was a stupid question, but she didn't even have the energy to scoff or rebut with a snarky comment. "A wraith," she gasped again for air, almost as though she was going to vomit. But she wouldn't let them see her as so weak. "A soul sucker."

"Did I—"

"Kill it?" She interrupted Snow, such a stupid girl. "No. You can't kill something that's already dead. It's regenerating. It won't stop until it devours its prey," she paused as she took in the enormity of the situation. "Me."

"Well, then we have a problem." Emma interrupted. She had thought she was so tough, that just because she was the Savior, she was immediately holy. This, Regina scoffed at. She had no right to think that. She hadn't been through a fraction of what Regina had. Emma hadn't experienced _pain. _She hadn't experienced _loss. _She had never been truly alone in the world.

"No." Regina craned her neck at the sudden exclamation. The prince stood indignantly in his place with his head held high. "Regina does." Her mouth almost dropped in shock and slight admiration. _So, Charming has a darker side, _she though sinisterly. _Good to know. _

"What?" She croaked, hurt almost slightly.

"David?" Snow had gotten used to the name, but not this person.

"You want to let her die?" Even Emma was shocked.

David remained stubborn and answered bitterly. "Why not? Then it goes away; then we're safe." His eyes were harsh and his chin set in his decision, but Regina could see the façade and she called him out on it.

"That's quite the example you're setting for your daughter there!" Her voice was laced with venom as she spat at him.

"No!" James raised his voice angrily. "You don't get to judge us!" He moved forward slightly, taking on a defensive stance as he pointed his finger at her accusingly.

"Let me ask you something. Where do you think that thing came from?" She tightened her grip on the metal bars to help release some pent up frustration. It wasn't helping. "Gold." The name dripped from her tongue like a poison. She glowered at Charming, enough to have him relax his stance and slightly cower back. Though, the response she got was not the one she was expecting.

"I made a promise to Henry." Emma piped in. She held eye contact with her new found father and continued to look between him and Regina. "She's not dying." She concluded.

Regina's head lifted slightly and she turned to look at Emma. Her son had said that? He wanted her alive? Maybe he did care. Maybe there was still something worth fighting for. Maybe, someday, he would love her just as much as she loved him. It was a far leap from what was present now, but it was worth the chance.

"So," Snow sighed, looking to Regina for the answer. "How do we get rid of it?"

Regina kept her eyes on Emma, a hopeful, yet curious expression passing over her face. "Send it somewhere it can't hurt anyone."

* * *

Everyone was yelling at her over the sound of desperate souls, and screaming winds, but she kept her mind focused on the hat. It wouldn't spin. Her only chance to save her relationship with her son and the stupid hat wouldn't spin! It was ridiculous! She felt a hand grip her lightly on the arm, and she looked up to see Emma. The girl looked just as worried and pained as she was, though Regina knew she contained herself much better. The blonde seemed to be coming apart at the seams. But when Regina tried spinning the hat, a familiar spark started through her arm and the purple magic swirled from the portal. She turned her head quickly to address the feeling, yet was stopped when she felt Charming pull her out of the way of the wraith.

But it was futile.

The wraith had a grip on her foot, and it dragged her into the portal with it. Regina, in a desperate attempt to grab something to keep from falling, gripped James' arm tighter. However, it didn't have the desired effect. James stumbled slightly into Regina as they were both sucked into the magical vortex.

"No!" Snow screamed as she and Emma attempted to jump into the portal, but it closed as soon as the three entered. "No." Her eyes brimmed with tears; she clung to Emma with everything she had left in her. Her daughter, unsure of what to do, rubbed her back and whispered reassuring words into her ear. "I just found him!" She sobbed. She sunk quietly to the floor and buried her face into Emma's chest.

"Hey, uh, what's going on in here?" Emma looked up at Henry sadly. "Wh-where's James? Where's my mom?" His panic filled voice hung in the air, but received no answer, only the quiet and heartbreaking sobs from Snow White. "Where is she?!" He tried once more.

"Gone." Emma whispered. "They're both gone." Her own tears began to fall as she mourned the loss of her father and Regina. She hated to admit it, but the feud she had had with Regina over the past year had been slightly entertaining. Almost like a twisted game of Cat and Mouse. "They fell into the portal Henry. I'm so sorry; I broke my promise." Henry stared at the hat on the floor, devastated. In one day he had lost his mother and his grandfather. They hadn't even had the chance to sit together as a family.

"No! No!" He screamed. Warm tears rolled down his cheeks and softly dripped off of his chin. "No! You have to save her, Emma!"

Emma wiped the tears from her own cheeks and slowly shook her head. "I don't know how."

"Please. Please, Emma. Get them back. Get them back!" He quickly moved over to her and dropped to his knees next to Snow. Emma reached out and pulled him into her. "I was so mean to her! I told her that I hated her. That was the last thing I ever said to her! I didn't mean it, Emma! I didn't mean it!"

His words rang through the air and echoed off of every wall. He was mad at his mother, but he didn't hate her. He loved her, and he couldn't bear the thought of never seeing her again. He had been cruel, so cruel to her, but she had continued to care and to fight for him. Rejected, time and time again, and she still loved him. He gripped Emma's shirt tighter. "Please, mom. Please."

* * *

James grumbled as he tried to sit up, but was forced down by the searing pain in his head and body. Where was he? His hands gripped the dirt around him tighter when he opened her eyes. The light filtered through but everything was blurry. It took a moment, but eventually his eyes adjusted and he could see the trees clearly. He looked around quizzically until he spotted Regina lying next to him in a pile of rubble. But how had they gotten there?

The memories of earlier that day replayed themselves in his mind. The wraith, the portal, Emma's magic. He and Regina had fallen through the portal. Nervously, James stood up slowly and looked around at what had become of the Enchanted Forest.

**So that's the end of the prologue. I think it moved a little quickly, but I just really want to get into the story.… I know I want to continue this story, but I REALLYYY want to know what you guys think. Reviews and suggestions are GREATLY appreciated:) **

**Until….uh… Tomorrow, or next Thursday. It depends… Let's pray for tomorrow? **

**-t3ars0fglass**


	2. Understanding

**Okay, thank you SO SO SO much for all of the reviews and follows and favorites. It means so much! I originally thought that I wouldn't be able to update until Thursday, and then I figured something out, so YAY! Update time! Please excuse the typos... Autocorrect is a bitch sometimes! **

**Again, the reviews are very much appreciated! Some suggestions were even put into thiS! So please review! Let me know how I'm doing and what I can fix so I don't disappoint! Here is the official chapter one!**

Chapter One: Understanding

When Regina awoke, it wasn't to the sound of her alarm clock, or to Henry running and jumping on her bed like he used to when he was younger. She remembered bitterly the days where he would wake her and they would happily make pancakes in the kitchen. The days where he would drag her to the park and they would play for hours, the days where he looked at her with so much admiration and adoration that her heart felt as though it were going to burst. Those were the days she most cherished.

And they were gone.

As the grogginess faded away and Regina started to open her eyes, a failure as the light filtered through, she felt the damp cloth press to her forehead. She groaned and raised a hand to her face, but was met with a burning sensation and winced in pain.

She knew that burning anywhere; it was the type that someone got when they pressed something too hot to an open flesh wound. It was a sense she had felt many times before: sometimes as a little girl and more frequently as the queen. It wasn't pleasant, but she managed through it and removed her hand.

The cold cloth returned, much to her dismay, but she had to admit that it felt nice when the pain faded away.

In a harsh whisper from somewhere next to her, Regina heard a person call out. "Quit moving!"

In response, she groaned and attempted to open her eyes. The light stung, her eyes began to wander, and a throbbing began in her head. Blood rushed to her face in a hot frenzy when she realized that someone was _touching_ her. Taking _care_ of her. _Helping_ her.

She sat bolt upright before she knew what she was doing and took in her surroundings. Something hot and sticky dribbled down her face and onto her hands. She reached up to once again touch her face, only to find she was bleeding. In an easy wave of her hand, the wound was healed and the pounding in her head gone.

"Well, I guess that solves that problem." Someone muttered bitterly beside her. She snapped her head up and looked to the voice. Charming.

"What are you doing? Where are we?" She demanded almost violently. He raised his arms in defense and stood to back away. When he turned around without an answer, Regina groaned and sunk back. The air smelled of forest and perspiration, along with pine and apple. It was familiar and welcoming, though she rarely welcomed anything these days. "Where are we?" She repeated, refusing to allow her mind to wander.

"The Enchanted Forest." Regina propped herself onto her elbows and stared at the prince in mocking disbelief.

"That's impossible. There are no port-" Memories flooded her mind when she felt the burning in her hand. The wraith, the portal, Emma and Snow. Henry. Her heart stabbed at her ribs painfully as she realize that he was probably glad she was gone.

He would finally get to live with his real mother, his real family. But then Regina remembered that she was the one with Charming. Snow was too noble for her own good, it was in her blood, and she would find a way to get them back. She always found him. And it was the biggest pain in the ass Regina had ever dealt with.

"It's apparently possible. But I thought you would know that, _Your Majesty_." He spat at her. Obviously, he wasn't happy, and there wasn't a damn on her side to be given.

"Well, I guess we were both wrong, _Charming_." Venomous and hate filled, the words rolled out of her mouth with as much skill as they had when she was The Evil Queen. "Where exactly are we?"

Her castle couldn't have been too far, or at least she hoped it wasn't. Pine was hardly in existence in any other kingdom, and it rarely smelled of apple far out of her palace. She had planted many apple trees around the kingdom in honor of Daniel. It was one of the few things she still sought comfort in, but even now, anxiety was eating her from the inside. She looked on with peculiar anticipation as she waited for the prince's response.

"A little ways away from Maleficent's summer home." He stated, lazily. _Perfect_, Regina thought. She had built Maleficent a palace in her kingdom for when she visited. It was inconvenient when the blonde witch got angry and turned into a dragon; she had nearly destroyed Regina's home three times in the past with her fire.

It wasn't far from her own palace either. Only about a days walk without magic, and far less than an hour with it. She sighed and laid back on the cold dirt ground. The silence that settled between the two was awkward, no doubt. But it seemed to bring about a sense of peace in the air. That was until a cold, metal sword was placed at the base of Regina's neck.

Startled, she flinched, causing the blade to slightly dig into her throat and cut her. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Take us home!" He drawled out. Upon seeing her confused look, he continued, "This is your fault. You bring us home. Now!"

From her spot on the forest floor, Regina scowled at the man. Had he no sense? She waved her hand and he- along with his sword- was sent backwards. She had not the faintest idea where he had accomplished such a weapon, but she did not dwell too long on the possibilities.

"If I could, do you honestly think we would still be here? I want to be back there as much as you, but I haven't the damnedest idea where to start!" She was standing, pointing a finger at him accusingly. "Now I suggest you pull yourself together, because this," her arms waved around her in aggravating expression, "isn't going to solve anything."

James stood slowly, glaring at Regina all the same. He approached her cautiously, like a hunter approaching a wild cat, but far more menacingly. "I should have killed you when I had the chance." He seethed before turning around and storming off into the forest.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Henry piped up from his seat in Emma's yellow bug. It had been nearly a week since his mother-and grandfather- had fallen through the portal, and since then, neither he nor Emma and Snow had slept. At all.

Dark bags were forming under his eyes and his cheeks were beginning to sink from lack of food and rest. His attitude had changed, and people were constantly seeing that he had become darker, almost robotic. He had never thought that he would miss his mother this much, after all, she was the infamous Evil Queen. But still, his heart ached and he found himself missing her more and more with each passing day.

"Gold's. He thinks that he may have a solution to bring them home." Emma answered dryly. This, all of the magic and fairytails, was too much for her at the moment. She had been sure it was a dream, but even her subconscious couldn't make things seem so real.

She noticed, through the rear view mirror of her bug, that Henry's ears had perked up and he was silently urging her to continue. "It's just an idea, don't get your hopes up. Besides, if it works, it will take moths to make." Henry slouched back in his seat and huffed.

"Whatever." He grumbled. It wasn't like Emma was too excited to get his mom back, anyways.

When they arrived at Gold's shop, Henry had opened the car and charged in through the door. It nearly knocked Gold over himself, but the little boy was just too excited. "So," Henry started. "You think you can bring them back?"

"Well, dearie, that is wherein the problem lies. We would need more magic than this town is capable of holding, not to mention I am the only very powerful sorcerer left. I would need Regina's help." The boy huffed angrily once more and buried his head in his hands.

"So, you can't bring them back?" His eyes filled with tears, even though he already knew the devastating answer.

"No, I am afraid I cannot." Gold sighed. The door to the shop swung open and the bells rang, echoing to the back of the store. Emma looked from Gold, to Henry, and back to Gold, after seeing the sadness on Henry's face.

She quickened her pace and demanded to know what he had found. After listening to him repeat what he had told her son, she leaned down and hugged Henry. "Don't worry, Henry. We will get them back. I promise. I don't know how, but we will. Mother Superior has the dwarves mining for diamonds, and Snow has been rummaging around your mom's house, looking for her spell book." Henry nodded once, and left the shop. Decided, Emma thought it best to leave him be for a while, and went to check in on Mary- Margaret.

* * *

Charming hadn't returned for hours, and Regina was starting to wonder if it was okay for her to worry about him. He had left earlier that morning, and sunset was only an hour away, which meant the wraith would be returning

She shook the nerves from her mind and transported herself to her castle. Not much had changed, aside from a few of the walls being demolished and litter strewn everywhere. A few of her apple trees still stood tall and proud, and two or three even had apples ready to pluck. She smiled as a nostalgic feeling rose in the pit of her stomach, and she even found herself wondering if her stables still had horses in them. She hadn't ridden a horse for fun since Daniel's passing, and she didn't have her beloved steed anymore. The nostalgia crumbled away when she remembered her dark past in the stables. The place that brought her the most comfort had turned into the place she hated most. It was supposed to be their symbol, a place of their love, but it had been cruelly turned into a place of death, and she couldn't bring herself to step in them anymore. It simply hurt too much.

Still in thought, Regina trailed her fingers along the stone of one of the corridors in the palace. Oh, how she had missed this place. The halls still looked the same, though they were empty of her once terrifying guards. She briefly wondered how her chambers looked, if they were still covered in black or if the curse had taken the pain with it.

Of course it hadn't.

_Because that would be too much to ask. _

Tears welled in her eyes and trickled down her cheeks, much like her blood had earlier that morning. Her heart ached, wanted, cried out for love and attention for years. And for some time, she thought she had finally gotten it. But she should have known it would only be a matter of time before it was ripped away from her, like everything else she had come to love.

_Love is weakness._

The words from years ago replayed themselves in her mind everyday. To some extent, she thought them true.

Love was weakness. If you had love, you had something to lose, and loss was an even greater weakness. It was her mother's motto, Rumple's motto, and even hers until she had gotten Henry. She pondered over taking the phrase back into consideration. Yes, it was true, but love was too attractive, too _seductive_ to give up. And Much like magic, they had both ruined her.

Unable to stand on two legs any longer, Regina crumbled to the floor, sobbing. She hadn't even noticed the loud, train like sounds coming from outside. She was too deeply occupied with her own pain to notice the wraith until the burning in her hand became too painful.

She stared up at the creature with understanding in her eyes. She understood how it must have felt to have to carry around the souls of pained people for all eternity.

"Go on, then!" She shouted at it. "Kill me!" The words hadn't come out angry, but almost a beg. "Please," she sobbed, painful wracks taking over her body. "Just kill me."

The creature paused for a moment, as though it was genuinely confused as to why someone had begged to die. She knew it couldn't think, it couldn't feel, but in that moment, it felt like it understood her too. It was strange, having something that wasn't even human understand her, that much was certain. Yet, it felt as though a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. Like, she didn't have to carry it all on her own anymore.

Before she could say anything more, the wraith was gone, a pile of ash on the floor and nothing more. She knit her eyebrows together in confusion before looking up. A warrior, clad in red armor stood before her, and the weight slumped back on to her shoulders. "Wh-who are you?" _Nice_, she mentally smacked herself. _No thanks, just who are you?_

"Mulan." _Strange_, she thought. The warrior had the voice of a woman. When she turned, Regina caught sight of the long black hair cascading down her back.

"You're a woman!" She gasped. Never had she seen a woman in armor, except for herself during her reign. But that was simply for protection on very, very few occasions, and either way, it was concealed and stylish. Not mannish as this girl in front of her displayed.

"Yes." She replied dryly. "Now, let's go. We found your friend waiting outside a while ago."

"We're not friends. More like arch enemies." She tried to keep her voice even as she wiped the tears from her face.

"Well, for enemies you seem rather concerned for each other. He was worried." The retort came about mockingly, and Regina caught the twinkle in the other woman's eye.

"Yeah," she scoffed. "That's because he thinks I'm his ride home, for which he is sorely mistaken." She stood shakily and straightened out the invisible wrinkles on her dress. Her regal posture resumed itself alongside her cold persona as she walked with the woman to the gardens of the palace.

* * *

James hadn't known what to think when he returned to the campsite to find Regina gone. He couldn't blame her for it either, he had been an ass. He didn't even give her enough time to gather her bearings before pointing a sword at her neck.

He had sat around for what seemed like hours until he caught sight of the black figure up above. The sound was deafening and heart breaking, and he only assumed it had gone in the direction in which Regina had gone. He hoped that wasn't far.

And it wasn't. Apparently their campsite was only an hours walk to the castle, much closer than what he had first thought. Along the way, he had run into two women, one who definitely did not belong in a forest, and the other who reminded him of Snow. They weren't rude, but kindness was not the first thought to come across his mind. Stubborn, one was selfish and spoiled, but the other was smart and witty, and strong willed. It only furthered his comparisons to Snow.

He ended up enlisting their help in finding Regina, without giving out the information that she was the Evil Queen. They didn't look like they would have taken too well to that. Mulan, he soon found her name to be, had insisted that he stay outside while she went in to deal with the wraith, so he had stayed behind and claimed to watch the rotten princess.

She was annoying and kept going on about her prince and how the wraith had killed him.

Sooner rather than later, Charming had tuned her out and looked up to the castle in anticipation. As much as he hated Regina, he had hoped she was alright. Not for his sake, but for Henry's. He couldn't deny how much the young boy loved his mother, even if he did think her evil.

When she walked out of the castle, back straight and an air of coldness about her, he stood. She looked okay, a little bruised up and bleeding from a few places, but it wasn't anything too serious. He wondered why she hadn't healed herself until he saw her eyes. Red and puffy. She had been crying.

Why, though? She had nothing to cry about; she brought this all on herself. Anger grew inside of him until he could barely contain it. She had ruined _his_ life, she had taken _his_ daughter from _him_, she had tried to kill _him_ on multiple occasions, so why was she crying when she hadn't been the one to endure such pain? It made no sense, only fueled the hate he had for her.

"Charming." She nodded coldly, before turning to Mulan. "Thank you, but I really must be going."

"And where do you think that would be?" The prince blurted out angrily. "You're getting us home. This was your fault."

Regina laughed. "You don't get it, do you? I don't know how to get us home! That is not my fault." Purple swirled around her hands. He was pushing her to her limit.

"Well, you better figure it out." He clenched and unclenched his fists to control himself. He didn't want to lose it, not here. "Because everything else is your fault." She opened her mouth to respond, but was abruptly cut off. "The curse, Emma growing up alone. Have you yet to forget how you put your own son under a sleeping curse? What kind of _mother_ does that? It is all your fault, Regina, and there is no one you can blame but yourself."

He regretted the words as soon as they had left his mouth. Her eyes started to water as a broken sob left her mouth.

Before had a chance to apologize, though, she fell forward and onto the ground, unconscious. He looked around confused, until he spotted Mulan. A fist connected with his jaw, and he heard it crick. His eyes went black and he fell to the ground next to Regina.

**tada! What did you think? I hope it slowed down a little bit... As I said please ignore any typos... And please leave a review! They are much appreciated. Enjoy!**

**-t3ars0fglass**


	3. In the Making

**So, I had some extra time on my hands, thankfully! Another update! Yay! Thank you guys so much for the lovely reviews and follows! They're really encouraging! This chapter doesn't have Henry:( but I hope what I wrote makes up for it... Feels guys. Feels.**

Chapter 2: In the Making

A cold hand pressed to Regina's head and beckoned her to wake up. If the world hadn't been spinning so quickly, she would have jerked away sooner. She flung her arms about violently and shifted away from the presence. As much as she desired comfort, she wanted to be left alone even more.

"Calm down." The voice soothed. It was calm, like a stream, but strong and demanding all at the same time. Much like Daniel's, she thought. The comparison caused her chest to clench tightly. She slowly looked up with hope filled eyes, half expecting to see her true love standing before her. Sadly, her wish was not granted, and she was met with the stony blue eyes of a familiar prince.

And they almost looked sorrowful, regretful even.

_Strange_, she thought. James moved around her and grabbed a glass off of a mahogany table in the corner of the room. Or dungeon. She wasn't sure which it was yet. After helping her sit up, he handed her the glass, which she promptly chugged in few gulps.

"She's okay, ma'am." Slowly, Charming moved away from her to allow a woman by. In a few strides, she had knelt beside Regina wearing a look of mock compassion and sympathy. Her blue gown fluttered around her and her cape sagged to the floor as she knelt.

"Oh, thank goodness! Regina, darling, I was so worried." The younger brunette's mouth opened and closed like a fish. No words could escape her crimson lips that could possibly have described what she was going through.

Fear coursed through her veins and pounded at her heart as it seized her mind. "M-mother!" She scrambled to her feet, not able to escape the woman's presence fast enough.

She jumped behind James, only to peer out from over his broad shoulder. "Wh-what are you doing here?" She raised a perfectly manicured hand to point at the woman. "You were supposed to be _dead_!"

"Well, that isn't any way to greet your mother, is it?" She stared Regina down. "After twenty eight years? Surely, I taught you better manners than that." Her eyes became dark and a hint of anger flashed through them. Regina flinched as she remembered what followed the horrifying gaze.

But nothing happened; her mother would not make herself seem a monster in front if a guest- shepherd or not.

The queen's eyes shifted off of her mother, something that would normally be deemed as a grave mistake, and over to James. He stood in front of her, eyebrows drawn up in a mixture of shock and confusion. Obviously, they had hardly been introduced.

"Charming," she drawled cooly. "Meet Cora, my _mother_."

With hard eyes, Cora assessed the man. From his natural posture, she could only assume he was no born lord. Never mind all of the stories she had been told of Snow White's infamous "prince." This man was no king, he was not royalty, no matter if he wore the crown or not. "Did Snow not learn her lesson either?" She turned her snide remark to Regina. "Once trajectory, one needs to move up. Surely, she must have taken some knowledge from your dear stable boy."

"Don't. You. Speak. Of. Him." Regina seethed. Anger boiled from inside her skin until she felt it may just melt off. Her eyes visibly darkened along with her mood and posture. Gone was the strict mayor. This was the Evil Queen.

Charming took a step out of Regina's path after sensing her growing rage. It would only be fitting if she destroyed him in an attempt to murder her mother. He watched, slightly bemused and slightly nervous, as she took a step forward. _Like a tiger_, he thought.

"You killed him. Right. In. Front. Of. Me. You have no right to dare speak of him in my presence." Her jaw began to ache as the muscles in it tightened, though there was nothing that could suppress her anger now.

"Still not over it, I see." Cora was dangerous, that much was clear to Charming. He just didn't understand how one could have so much hatred for their own mother. Then again, Regina had hatred for a lot of things.

The two women were dangerously on the edge, one move could set them off and he had no desire to be around when they did. As he began to move away from the center of the room, he caught Regina's eye. There was so much pain, he started to wonder how she was even still alive.

Before he had any more time to study her, she had flown back and hit the wall. Hard. Blood trickled from her forehead as she slumped to the ground. "Still weak, Regina. What a terrible example you're setting for you're son." At the mention of Henry, Regina's eyes widened. She snapped her neck to Charming.

"You told her about Henry?" She asked incredulously. When James shook his head, she turned back to look at Cora. She wore a triumphant grin.

"You honestly didn't think I would watch you sleep without exploring your memories, darling. Even you should know better than that." The older woman slinked across the room, a snake in the eyes of her daughter. She gripped Regina by the face, squeezing until it became difficult to breath. "I guess you were just _born_ stupid."

Just as Regina started seeing black spots, the pressure on her face stopped. She stared blankly down at her mother's unconscious form on the floor, trying desperately to catch her breath.

"It must be genetics." She heard James mutter from above her. His hand suddenly presented itself in front of her, and she allowed him to hoist her to her feet. "You alright?"

"Yeah." She quipped. He slid his hands into his jacket pocket and slowly motioned for her to follow him.

"Let's get out of here." Confused, Regina followed him to the small opening in the ceiling. He had dragged a few of the chairs that littered the room over to the light and made a small stepping ladder.

James climbed up first and rolled onto his belly to offer her his hand, which she graciously accepted. Without much effort, he pulled her out of the pit. She was a small person, so heaviness wasn't an issue. Regina had to blink a few times to adjust to the sun, as did James, but she soon found herself being dragged out of the small town. Or whatever it was. Either way, it was filthy, and smelled of rotten egg and chimera.

"Where are we going?" Regina managed to breath once they had stopped. This whole adventure... no, tragedy... seemed like an awful lot to be going through in order to escape a run down village full of stupid oafs.

"Out of the open. The ogres returned when the curse broke, so it's dangerous to be in the fields like this." The queen snorted. Dangerous? Had he forgotten that she was one of few in their land that possessed the most powerful of magic? And besides, danger followed her wherever she went. It was like a safety blanket, ironically. Nothing felt normal to her without it, and she was sure nothing ever would. It was her _shadow_, her _insignia_. She _was_ danger. The living, breathing form of the rotten beast.

James quizzically raised an eyebrow at her. She mirrored his expression, wincing as the pain in her forehead was brought back. That was the only bad part about magical healing. It took almost two days for the body to fully register that it had been healed. And during those two days, if further injury was inflicted, the pain came back tenfold.

She had learned that the hard way with Rumpelstiltskin.

Her hand raised to her head in response, as James seated her on a nearby log. He reached his hand into his pocket and pulled out a dirt-tainted cloth. As he dabbed slowly at the wound, Regina studied him.

"You don't have to do this." She stated.

"What?"

"Help me." At this, he laughed.

"Of course I do. Wouldn't very well be deserving of my nick name if I didn't, now would I?" Regina winced as he pressed a little harder on the cut. "Sorry."

There was a bit of an implication in his statement. Yes, he was sorry for the slight jab of pain, but he had meant something else entirely. She cocked her head to the side.

"For what?"

"For being a total ass." He put the now blood stained rag beside him. "Regina, I didn't mean what I said earlier. It was cruel, and completely unnecessary, and-"

"True?" She offered with a sad smile. "You were right, Dav- James. You have nothing to be sorry for. If anyone does, it's me."

He was stunned. The Evil Queen was showing actual remorse for what she had done. It was a day he never thought he would see, and it took all of his strength not to stand and rejoice right then and there.

"But... I'm not." And there went his good mood. "I'm not sorry for the curse, not at all. I never would have met Henry if it weren't for the spell, and he is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I won't show remorse for something I am not sorry for." The honesty in her words unnerved him. How could someone make doing such a horrible thing seem so good? "I regret many things, but the curse is not one of them, dear."

For the first time since he had met the woman, he felt as though he understood just a piece of her complex mind. He wouldn't have regretted it either, if it meant getting to raise Henry. He was a spectacular child, and he could see how much Regina truly loved him. _True love,_ he huffed, astonished. _Who would have thought the Evil Queen were capable of it._

"Oh, Charming. Even I am capable of true love, crazy as it may seem." Had he said that out loud? Blood rushed to his cheeks, adding a bit of color, until he fully understood the meaning behind her words. He craned his neck to look back at her. Her eyes were closed, as though she were reminiscing about a previous life.

"You... Had a True Love?" The corners of her lips tugged into a small smile. She leaned back on her hands and turned her head upwards.

"Mhmm." She looked at his expression, wide eyes and mouth agape, out of her peripherals. A small chuckle rose in her throat, a sad sound.

"I don't believe you." James retorted, narrowing his eyes at her accusingly. "You're playing me a fool." He expected her to laugh again, to find it humorous, but she didn't. Even though she wasn't facing him, he could see the tears form in her eyes.

"No," she answered, leaning forward and looking down at her lap as she shook her head. "I'm not."

"What was his name?" James didn't miss the bloody tears that landed on her skirt.

"Daniel." Regina cleared her throat of the painful lump forming there.

"What happened to him?" He watched as her expression turned cold, as the walls went back into place.

"He was murdered." James was shocked. He wouldn't wish that on anyone, not even her. He had felt when Snow went under the sleeping curse, but that had to be no match for the actual death of your True Love. In that moment, his heart went out to her. "Right in front of me."

"Oh, God! Regina! I am so sorry!" He took her hand and gave it a small squeeze. It wasn't much, but it was all he could do in hopes to comfort her.

And then it all clicked.

This was the reason she hated Snow.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He offered. Sometimes, especially times like this, it felt nice to get stuff off your chest. He waited patiently for her to begin, after all, she hadn't denied.

"We grew up together when I was younger. My father had hired his as our stable hand, and soon after his father died, he took over." She paused and smiled a little. "We were always good friends. I was crawling out to the stables to see him when I was just a baby. So, when he took over the stables, I visited more and more. I took lessons, any excuse was good enough as long as I got to see him.

"We were riding one day, and he just kept staring at me and smiling. I remember asking him what it was, but he just shook his head and laughed. So, by the time we got home, I was certain I had something on my face, or I looked weird.

"But he helped me off of my horse, and then he kissed me. And before I knew it, we were young, and in love. We would do stupid things, crazy, stupid things, but we were always careful not to reveal our relationship to anyone. Especially to m-"

"Your mother." James finished. The argument she and Cora had earlier that day replayed itself in his mind and he knew exactly how the story ended. Or at least he thought he did.

"Yes. She believes that once trajectory, one needs t-"

"To keep moving up... I heard." Regina sighed softly.

"Yeah... Well, I knew better. Status meant nothing, and still means nothing, to me if love is in the equation, and Daniel knew that. I made sure of it.

"One afternoon, I had snuck off to meet with him. We were joking around when a young girl on a horse went running by. She was screaming for help, and before I even knew what I was doing, I had gotten on my horse and had safely pulled her from hers."

"Snow..." Charming whispered in awe.

"Yepp. Anyways, her father proposed to me, and my mother being...my mother... accepted. That night I ran to the stables and asked Daniel to marry me, and we devised a plan to run away together. But Snow... she saw us kissing and she ran. I ran after her, and after a long discussion and her...promising me she wouldn't tell anyone, Daniel and I continued with our plan to run away."

"But Snow told." Charming concluded. His wife had told him she had broken a promise to Regina, and that it had cost her dearly, but he had never thought it would have been this bad. Regina nodded, and he allowed her to continue.

"The next night, we tried to run away, but my mother showed up. I begged and cried, and for a moment I thought she was going to give us her blessing. But I was wrong." She shook her head and looked down at her hands, now sitting limply in her lap.

"What happened?" The prince asked after a few moments of silence.

"She pulled him away, and I didn't even have time to do anything before her hand was in his chest and he was dying in my arms." Charming squeezed her hand again, in another attempt to comfort her the only way he knew how... Yet, it didn't seem to do anything, this woman, Regina, she was different. So different, and he hadn't a clue on how to comfort her.

"I'm so sorry, Regina." He shook his head, looking at her when she turned towards him.

"So am I." She sighed, withdrawing her hand. "Contrary to what everyone wants to believe, Charming, evil isn't born." Regina stood and continued to walk deeper into the forest, wiping away her tears.

_It's made._

_**so, I hope you liked it! Please review! **_

_**-t3ars0fglass**_


	4. Sound of Music

Chapter 3: Sound of Music

Henry sat at the bar of Mary-Margaret's second rate apartment. It was early in the morning, and birds were still chirping outside of the window. Rather than pick one up on his finger, like in his book, Henry found the little creatures to be oddly annoying and often shut the blinds to drown out their incessant singing.

Today though, it was different. He stared out at a small blue bird feeding its offspring and smiled. It reminded him so much of his own mother, willing to do anything to help him. It didn't even matter that Henry had treated her as though she were the dirt he walked on.

After staring blankly at his bowl—cereal once again, Emma wasn't a great cook—he put his spoon in the sink and rinsed away the undisturbed bits of Captain Crunch. Another morning, another empty stomach. He hadn't started eating again, though he was often times hungry and couldn't stop his stomach from growling. Thoughts of Regina twisted his heart and subsided his usually bottomless appetite. He supposed it was from guilt, maybe even sadness or longing.

Every day, Henry sat with Gold for hours, sometimes missing school, to help find a way to bring back his mom and grandfather. Or his step-great-grandmother and grandfather? Mom, Regina was his mom. No matter what weird family tree his ancestry acquired, Regina Mills was, and would always be, his mother. Today was much like the rest, aside from his new view on blue birds. He stuffed his red backpack with money that he had found on the counter and a granola bar from the small cupboard above the sink. As he zipped it up, he noticed the tag that hung on the back. _Henry Mills_, but the _Mills_ had been crossed out with pencil and above it he had written _Swan_. Quickly setting it on an empty countertop, he grabbed a pencil and erased his new last name. Then, in black permanent marker, he wrote _Henry Mills _very clearly next to Regina's cell phone number. He shoved the cap back on the marker and grabbed his bag before racing out the door.

"Bye, Emma!" He took the familiar stairs right outside of the door two at a time. In his mind, it was fifty percent quicker. His hand hit the door knob at the bottom of the stairs and he gasped, reeling it back and staring at it with a pained expression. There was a burn, red and splotchy and bubbling up on his skin.

Henry stared at it in shock. _The nightmares_, he thought fearfully. It was the red room, four grand walls, lined with mirrors, but frightening all the same. Fire shot from the floors and the ceilings, making the heat almost unbearable, but strangely, there was no door. There was no escape. It was as if he was stuck in a toaster with no release valve, and he was slowly burning to death. Of course, every time he woke up, sweaty and still smelling the smoke, he convinced himself it was only a dream. But now, he had a burn. Visible and physical proof that his nightmare was anything but a bad dream. It was reality.

He had been having the strange "dreams" since he had woken up from the sleeping curse. It was part of the reason he wasn't sleeping, but he had managed to convince himself the nightmares were from the guilt he felt.

Henry briskly pulled down the sleeve of his jacket to cover the burn and walked out the door. It was cooler than usual, but it was approaching winter and the winds were picking up. Gold looked at him from outside of his shop, which was creepy in the slightest. He motioned Henry to come closer with the hand that wasn't grasping his cane before turning and closing the shop door behind him. Henry smiled and ran across the street; the town was so small that the roads were littered with few cars that raced by every now and then.

"Did you find something?" He bounced lightly.

"Well, I can say honestly, that I know they are alive, dearie." Henry's face brightened as he waited for the man—imp—to continue. "I went over the curse, and it does not destroy the lands it rips the people away from, so if that was where your mother was intent on sending the wraith, she and James are indeed alive." Gold scrunched his nose up in a tight grin.

"How did you go over the curse?" Henry shrunk back slightly at the animalistic grin on Rumpelstiltskin's face. "I thought only my mom knew about it."

"Oh, quite on the contrary, dearie. I created the curse. Your mother is simply the person I got to enact it." The brunette boy scowled up at the Dark One. _So this was his fault! _He set a hard glare on his face that resembled Regina's. Years of living with the woman certainly helped when being angry. After a moment of silence, Henry stood and walked out of the shop, not bothering to close the door.

* * *

"Regina?" James called. "Regina!" The woman had been missing for hours after their little conversation, and he couldn't bring himself to find her. "Regina?" His voice grew louder, laced with panic and worry. The sun was starting to rise and the ogres would be out and about soon enough.

"Regina!" He called again. No answer. "Regina!" Something on the ground tripped him and caused him to fall forward. He landed on the cold soil with a prominent _"Oof!"_

"Are you trying to get us killed?!" He looked around the brush he had been pulled into and was met with a pair of stony brown eyes. "Stay quiet and don't move." He saw her briefly raise a finger to her lips as she pointed with her other hand in front of him.

"Wha—" Regina clapped her hand over his mouth to silence him. James turned his head slightly, eyes widening, as he saw them. Ogres, and not just two or three of them. Hundreds. There were hundreds and hundreds lined up and walking through the fields. Some carried clubs, noticeably made up of the bones of people they had eaten. Others were too busy actually eating the people. He gasped at the gruesome sight and turned his eyes away, silently sending out a prayer to the heavens.

"Come on. We gotta get out of here." Regina whispered from right beside him. It was then that he noticed just how close they were. Their sides were touching, hands still laced from where she had pulled him through, and he could feel her warm breath on the side of his face when she spoke. "Try not to make a sound." She backed out slowly, careful not to step on the twigs that lay right at her feet. After the seconds passed without a sound, she motioned for him to follow. He strategically placed his feet where hers had passed over, for she had managed to get out without so much as breathing.

However, he miscalculated his trajectory when crawling out and was sent face first into the bushes beside him. Thorn bushes. He yelped loudly and heard Regina curse under her breath. "Ow."

"Could you be any more stupid?" She grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the line of ogres. They had turned to face them, faces hidden by the foliage of the upper branches of the trees, but that didn't hide the fact that Regina and James had been spotted. Regina stopped after hearing the giant footsteps from behind her. "Run!"

So they did.

But, being smaller and weaker, they didn't get very far until they were surrounded on all sides by angry giant ogres. Two, one a light yellow color with blood dripping down his chin, and the other, sporting a toothy grin and holding a bone club, stepped out. The first one went for Regina, stealthy and thinner than the rest. The other leapt into action after James. He turned his head to the witch.

"Can't you use magic?" He shouted frantically.

"It's been twenty eight years! What do you think?" She was out of practice. _Great_, James thought sarcastically. He drew his sword and stood to fight the beast. It lunged angrily at him. _Dodge, stab, dodge_. The old routines played forcefully in his mind as he tried to fight the monster. _Dodge, stab_. His sword met a target as the giant creature bent down to James. He lunged forward and stabbed upwards, where his sword was met with the soft tissue of the ogre's eye. "_Thump!"_ He looked at the beast laying on the ground, covered in its own blood. Some of the ogres around it shrieked highly, almost bursting the eardrums of any creature within a one mile radius, at the smell of their brother's spilled soul.

Slightly disoriented from the sound, James was not fast enough to dodge the oncoming blow from another angry ogre. It hit him in his side, where he was sure he felt his ribs break, and sent him flying through the air. He landed on the ground and rolled to his feet, silently cursing the pain that shot through his body. His shirt was torn and covered in blood, and as he looked to Regina, he noticed she wasn't doing much better. Her hair was matted and she was covered in dirt and blood, but it wasn't her own.

Two of the ogres fell to the ground beside her, dead. She looked back up at him after retrieving the daggers from their eyes. "I took them before we left that village!" A triumphant grin spread across her face. James smiled as three ogres around them fell to the ground with another resounding, _"Thump!"_

The prince whipped his head around, spotting the arrows protruding from their eyes. "Wha—?"

"Thought you could use a little help!" A warrior woman shouted from across the trees. Mulan, he thought. "Go! We've got this! Meet up at the palace!" He nodded and grabbed Regina's arm as he sprinted by the many soldiers running out of their hiding places. He ran over roots, around trees, through bushes, and hid under the dark foliage of the trees. _A perfect hiding place_.

Charming sat on his haunches and looked himself over. His shirt was hanging by threads around his arms, and his—once expensive—jeans were ripped up the sides. His shoes were covered in mud and water; they weren't made for fighting monsters in a magical forest, because that would be ridiculous. James looked over to Regina. She, too, was not in good shape. Her dress was covered in goop and blood; it clung to her body, frozen almost. He only then realized that during the entire battle, she had refrained from taking off her designer heels, which were now ruined. One of them was missing a heel, and the other was soaked in water and soil as she appeared to be shaking from the cold.

"Wh-where are we?" James finally breathed after moments of deafening silence. The quiet was too awkward to bear without the snarky retorts or sarcastic insults.

"The edge of my palace." He shot her a confused glance. "It smells of apples."

"Oh."

"Come on, I'm not staying out here." She stood abruptly and wiped away the dirt that wouldn't seem to go away.

"Where are we going?" James furrowed his brows. There weren't many other places they could go, and he wanted to stay and make sure Mulan got out of the fight okay. She had saved their lives on more than one occasion, after all.

"To change. It's freezing out here, and being wet and soaked in ogre's blood isn't going to help that."

"But we don't have any other clothes." He protested.

"What does Snow see in you, Charming? We're at my palace. I have riding clothes." She walked through the brush, pushing away some stray branches.

The whole ordeal seemed like a dream, and not a good one. Being stuck in The Enchanted Forest, with Charming of all people, was more like a nightmare. One that she couldn't wake up from. All she wanted was to get home to Henry, but he wouldn't even be there when she did. He hated her. _Hated_ her. It kept her up most nights, sometimes she didn't sleep for a week. All had been well until his stupid school teacher had given him that book.

Stepping over a few crumbled stones, Regina came to a halt in front of the gates of her palace. She placed a hand to the smooth surface on one of the rocks and watched as the steel doors opened. With a happy sigh, she glided through.

Home, she sighed. She had been there before, but this was different. She wasn't running for her life, she had time to enjoy what she had missed. And she had missed a lot. The right side of her castle was missing, which was fitting, because she cast the curse not too far from there. Helmets and swords lay littered on the front garden, and the fringed covering hung from the branches of the trees. They were all the extras, her army hadn't been in Storybrooke the last she had heard. The mortar on the edges of the property was coming undone, making it look old and withered, though it was relatively newer. The drapes that hung over all of the windows, a silky red that bled from the banisters, were all hung out of the windows. It was as if the castle was bleeding. "Suiting." She muttered glumly.

She stepped up to the giant door and slipped inside. It didn't anger her that the door had been left open, she thought she would never see it again. But, just to make sure, she closed it behind her and surveyed the room before continuing.

Regina climbed the stairs that spiraled upwards into the foyer, and off to the right, a dining room. It was still as grand as she remembered it, the places still set in perfection. The kitchen was closed as usual, but the door to her chamber's living room was left open. She cautiously slipped through the doors to take in the room. It was still the same. Her white, backless loveseat still sat in its home, just like she liked it, and the red, decorative satin pillows were carefully placed in the corners. The mirrors that lined the wall were still there, though some had cracked. She assumed it was from the curse taking Sidney out of them, and she almost expected to see his face pop up. But it didn't; she had him holed up in the asylum in a room labeled S. Glass.

She looked off to her right, where her chamber doors lay... a calligraphic _R_ was etched into the metal. She placed her hand on the doorknob and pulled. The door creaked loudly. "Regina! Are you in here?" The former queen jumped back. "Regina?" Charming's loud footsteps echoed through the halls as he bounded about. "I'm going to have to take you up on that clothes offer…because I don't think this is gonna work." He breathed when he reached the room, tugging at the frayed ends of his shirt. Regina almost laughed, but bit the inside of her lips to hide her smirk.

"Follow me." She walked him effectively out of the room and down the halls. The stone was perfectly lined in the halls, the curse hadn't even touched them. It didn't have to. Everyone in her kingdom had fled, hoping to escape the wretched spell. It didn't work of course, but it left her castle in almost perfect condition.

When they arrived to the servants' quarters, James looked at her, confused.

"My guards were well dressed, thank you. As were all of my servants and maids." He watched as she pursed her lips and pointed to the fitting closet at the end of the room. He walked to the door, counting each step as he did, and turned the steel doorknob to the closet. "Yes…well, while you change, I am going to go look for some clothes." She turned on her heel and hurried back to her own chambers.

Black, the walls were lined in black lace patterns. The bed, while black, was stonier and more patterned, giving it an almost three dimensional effect. The pillows that creased the duvet were a bright cerise, some sat in chairs in the corners of the chamber. A mahogany desk was pushed against the wall, her old study, and her closet, almost as big as the room, lay off to the right, in front of a long mirror. Regina paced in front of the mirror and stormed into her closet. It had been so long since she had seen the regal—dramatic—garb she had worn as the Evil Queen. The walls were wizened with it, having almost two hundred magnificent dresses hanging from each individual spot.

In the back, near the shoes, she found the riding clothes she had never used. She had thought about it on multiple occasions, but since Daniel's death, Regina hadn't been able to put herself up to the task. She quickly stripped of her soggy dress and threw on the pair of light brown jodhpurs that hung from the railing. She then neatly tucked in a white blouse and put on a belt. Over the outfit, she hung a dark red riding jacket that met her knees and bunched around her forearms. Her bare feet padded against the tile floor and over to the part of the closet where the black boots lay, undisturbed.

She tugged them on her small feet and laced them up, something she hadn't done since she was seventeen. It was odd to have to do it herself, having had hand maidens to do it for her for many years. Regina all but ran out of the closet to examine herself in the mirror before grabbing a pair of long gloves off of her desk and stomping out of her chambers to meet Charming—make sure he hadn't gotten lost.

"Charming!" Regina shouted as she approached the big brown door to the servants' quarters. "Are you almost finished?"

"Actually, I've been done for about fifteen minutes." Startled, Regina jumped and turned to face the man behind her. He had found clothes, white jodhpurs, a yellow shirt, and a grey overcoat. His boots were unlaced, but he didn't seem to care. From his waist hung a scabbard with one of her finer swords. "You know, you have some pretty great swords." He unsheathed the weapon and twirled it around a few times, nearly knocking over a vase and breaking a window.

"Mhmm. I'll remember that. Come on, we need to go and meet… Mulan? And that bratty princess of hers." She laughed lightly as she turned around and headed out to the palace gardens, leaving a confused Charming….he had never heard her laugh before. It was almost like music.

**Okay, I apologize for the crappiness of this chapter…. I got writer's block… on the third chapter… what is this?! Well, this is the chapter. Thanks for all of the views and to the people who reviewed and suggested things. Really helped with the writer's block…. Oh, and the follows and faves! :))) Please REVIEW…:)**


	5. Hurt

Chapter 4: Hurt

The air was thick with tension and annoyingly quiet. Regina sat at one end of the table, Charming at the other, and Mulan sat on the side. The annoying princess, Aurora they had learned her to be, sat on one of the couches that decorated the room. She wasn't much for war talk, but Mulan was her guide and she had to stick with her, as troublesome as it was.

"When did she disappear?" Regina finally spoke up. The news that her mother had somehow escaped the pit was frightening, but not unexpected. Charming sat forward in his seat to study every aspect of the conversation. If Cora was as big a threat as Regina thought, then they had a serious problem. Especially if Cora knew about them needing a portal home.

"Shortly after you did. She killed two of the guards and three villagers before she left." Regina sighed heavily. She remembered vaguely the days where she probably would have done the same thing if someone had stepped in her way, but she was changing, she wanted to change. She wanted to be better when she got back to Henry—if she got back to Henry.

"Unless we have a run in with her, I see no need to track her down." James leaned forward on his elbows to get a better look at the map on the table. "The village is here," His finger bent back as it pressed to a spot on the paper. "We need to get to the summer palace on the other side. She wouldn't know that, so our best option is to just weave around her and try not to run into her."

"She'll kill everyone in the haven if we don't stop her, Charming. This is a woman who managed to come back from death. I saw her in the coffin. I laid a rose on her dead corpse. She's dangerous, and she needs to be stopped." The brunette turned her eyes to the big grey door to her right. Her mother had been put there before, cold and not breathing.

"Well, I said the same about you, but here we are." James shot a smile in her direction, hoping to lighten the mood a bit. Though the day was bright, the room was glum and grey with distaste and hatred. When the former queen laughed, though, it seemed to brighten the bleak atmosphere.

"Yes, here we are." She shook her head as she chuckled. "But, either way, once we're back, mot—Cora will find a way to Storybrooke, and stopping her now is the best way to keep Henry safe, and he's my top priority." Charming nodded at her answer; she had a point. If anything were to endanger his family, it would be his own knee-jerk reaction to nip it in the bud. "But we can't stop her without magic." She whispered.

"Well, then you'll just have to practice. We'll spend a few days here so you can gather your bearings and then we'll set off to get her." Mulan took the map off of the table and rolled it neatly before stuffing it in its round casing. She popped the brass lid into the stopper and threw it over her armor-clad shoulder. She looked over to Aurora and motioned for her to follow her and left the room, princess in tow.

"See? It'll all be fine, Regina." Charming assured her, standing and moving over to her side of the table. Shakily, he picked up one of her hands and squeezed it within his own. She seemed to relax into the touch, almost as if she enjoyed it. He was sure that it was just relief from the assurance, but something in him felt it was more. It felt…_right_. Gently, he picked it up to his mouth and kissed her fingers, letting her hand fall to her lap and walking out of the room.

Regina stared at the prince as he left, and then she looked down to her hand lying limply in her lap. What was _that_? Had he been _flirting_ with her? She shook her head and rose from the table, bracing herself on the mahogany war board. She had to practice. _Magic_, she needed to practice if she was going to take down Cora. Focusing on the candle across the table, she willed it to light….but it wouldn't. She aimed her hand at the wax, begged for it to light as she clenched her fists, but not even a flicker of magic appeared.

"Dammit." She muttered under her breath. _The book_, she snapped her neck to the right, surveying the shelves on the wall. Books, neatly arrayed in alphabetical order, stared back at her. She sauntered over and touched one. Her fingers dragged as she looked for it, the magical book that would restore her magic. She hadn't taken it with her, it wasn't with Rumpelstiltskin, and he owned everything she had lost.

"James!" Regina shouted. Loud, boisterous footsteps followed.

"Yes?" He answered as he peered around the door. She turned to look at him.

"Go get the horses… I need to go get something."

* * *

"Listen, kid. I know you want to find them, believe me… I do too. But…that isn't a reason to skip school, okay?" Emma did her best to be a mom, but it wasn't working. Henry didn't see her as a mom, as an authority; he saw her as a friend, perhaps a big sister… but not a _mom_.

"Yeah. Got it." He smiled up at her, hoping she didn't see through the elusive truth. Emma nodded and turned to walk away. "Mom?"

"What?"

"Do you really think we'll get them back?" She turned her head to look at him through her blonde hair.

"I honestly don't know, kid. But… I think that we can find a way." Henry watched as she walked away. He set down his book on the bench seat next to him and leaned back so he could stare at the sky.

_Chirp, chirp!_ The familiar sound stirred something from within the small boy. Placing his hands on the back of the bench, he turned and looked up to the oak tree planted behind him. A bluebird, small and gentle, but smart. It chirped again, and Henry smiled up at it. It bounced around the branch on its small feet. There was an occasional ruffle of wings, but aside from that, it seemed as though the bird just wanted to sing.

Without thinking, Henry strained his arm and reached up to the small creature. "Hey, little fella'." He cooed softly as the bird took perch on his tiny finger. It gazed up at him and cocked its head to the side. "You lost too? I'm not really lost…I just don't know what to do."

_Chirp, chirp!_

It was almost as if the bird understood him, and it felt nice. It listened intently as Henry rambled on about his mother and James. He didn't have anyone to really talk to. Emma was always down at the station, Mar—Snow was teaching and running the town, and since his last run in with Gold, Henry had been too angry to step foot into the pawn shop. He talked for almost an hour with the peculiar little bird before he realized that it was getting dark and he needed to get home. Carefully, he set the bird back on the branch and hurried to Mary-Margaret's apartment.

* * *

"Where are we going?!" James shouted from his horse. They were galloping at full pace through the tress in the Enchanted Forest. Every second or so, it seemed, he was weaving and ducking to escape the slap of a branch or collision with a tree. Eventually, Regina slowed her horse to a canter as they approached, what seemed to be, an old village.

People lay littered on the ground as they bled from their hearts. James looked away sadly. It appeared as though they had just been killed, but whether it was by monster or human was still unknown.

"She was here." Regina stated flatly.

"Who?"

"My mother." She angrily kicked around the dirt with her boot as she walked over to one of the houses. The door creaked loudly when she opened it, and dust puffed out from the inside. She coughed loudly and waved her hands in front of her to clear the air.

If she was right, and it was still here, there was a way that they could defeat Cora. Regina brushed past the cabinets that lined the wall, and walked over to a glass wardrobe. Her hand pressed against the cool, clear glass and it unbuckled to open in front of her. She almost laughed as she peered at the old dirt-ridden, leather bound book. It had been so long, far too long. Carefully, she grabbed it and tucked it into the brown satchel that hung from her shoulder.

Not bothering to slam the door, Regina hurried out of the old house and hopped back onto her horse. "Let's go." Without another word, her horse began to gallop into the woods at full speed. James sighed and turned his own horse around.

"_Hey!"_ He tugged on the reigns when he heard the low cry of a man. _"Help!"_

"Regina! Wait! Come back!" He heard her horse stop in the distance when she heard him, and when he was positive she was returning, he dismounted the animal and jogged over to a pile of bodies that lay on the ground. "Are you in there?" One of the bodies rolled over and fell to the floor. Startled, James jumped back. A man, handsome, crawled out from under the corpses and stood tall in front of him. "Are you alright?" He asked, noticing the missing hand from his right arm.

"Yes, but there was this woman! Sh-she was ripping out the hearts of the villagers!" The man paused to take a breath of air. "I hid under the bodies in hopes of surviving!"

Off to his right, James saw Regina's horse come to a halt next to his own. She was looking into a book, flipping through the pages until she reached the one she wanted. Though he couldn't be sure, he could have sworn he saw her _inhale_ the ink off of the page.

"Yes, well, why don't you sit down and tell us what happened." James led him to a table as Regina dismounted the horse. She looked furious, and it was confirmed when she opened her palm and sent the man flying through the air. "Regina!"

"Don't believe a word this man says." She seethed. As he began to rise, she flicked her wrist and sent him flying again, using magic to hold him in place. "He lied to me."

"Good to see you too, Your Majesty." The snide remark drew a snarl from the angry queen. "It has been too long."

"Regina," Charming called.

"What are you doing here, Hook?" The invisible vise like grip still held him, but she slowly began to tighten it. "No, why don't you tell me why my mother is alive, and here?"

"Regina." A little louder.

"Well, why don't you release me?" He struggled through the choke. Regina only tightened her hold.

"I should have killed you when I found you in that cell." She scowled. "Better late than never."

"_Regina!"_ Charming shouted over the gasps of the pirate. She dropped him and released a shaky breath before closing her eyes. "What the hell was that?!" He stood in front of her, glaring down into her eyes.

"He is the reason my mother is still alive!" She pointed her finger at Hook.

"That doesn't mean you get to kill him!" James shouted furiously. "You have lied many times too, but that doesn't mean I should kill you...that doesn't mean I want to kill you." _Huh_, he thought, surprised at the honesty in his own words.

"That's because you're too soft, Charming."

"Being soft and being _morally correct_ are to completely different things, Regina! You can't just _kill_ every person who does something wrong!"

"He told me my mother was dead, he assured me I would be safe, he stood with me as I placed a rose on her dead body! He lied to me, Charming! He hurt me, like everyone else! I trusted him, and he hurt me!" She was on the brink of tears, now. He watched as she fought to raise the walls inside of her, but it was no use. She had suffered, betrayal after betrayal, and the death of the woman who murdered her true love was a lie. Her face scrunched together, lips pursed, and eyes squeezed shut as the tears fell from her eyes and her body shook with sobs. Charming grabbed her and pulled her into a tight embrace even as her body stiffened against him. He was just as unsure, but he knew one thing.

_He would do his best to make sure he never hurt her._

* * *

"You don't care!" Henry shouted from the stairs of the apartment. "You couldn't care less if my mom made it back! You hate her!"

"I don't hate your mother, Henry!" Emma pleaded as she gripped the railing. In all honesty, she didn't hate Regina, she just didn't understand her, she didn't know how to talk to her. It was confusing and agitating all at the same time, but Emma didn't hate Regina. She didn't hate anyone.

"Then why aren't you doing anything?! Everyone is trying to get them back, even Rumpelstiltskin! But you're not trying to help, Emma!" He was right, of course. But, she had been so busy at the station that she just didn't have the time. That wasn't her fault.

"I'm trying to run the town, kid! I can't do everything at once!"

"But you're the savior! Save them!"

"I can't!"

"Then try!" Henry cried. "At least try!"

**Did you see the little bits of Evil Charming? I hope so…. They were tiny… and a little random and confusing, but I imagine that would be what they were going through…. Hook's here! YAY! I love him, he's a cool dude, just not when trying to kill Gold or anything…though, he does have a viable reason. **

**And you may not understand Henry and the bird…but it's important so remember that. **

**Review please! I'll update soon… hopefully. **


	6. A Horse of a Different Color

Chapter 5:A Horse of a Different Color

The spare key that Regina had always hidden under the mat in front of the door was still there. She always put it there in case Henry lost his own or forgot it. The young boy bent down and pulled it from its hiding place. The key was rusting, but it still worked when he unlocked the door and stepped into his old home.

It smelled like her….Regina.

It smelled of apples and a hint of cinnamon and the delicious pies she used to make. Everything seemed to be the same, right down to the smell, but his mother had always been one for perfection. The home was becoming dusty, though. A month of being away from it would do that, surely. A few cups sat in the kitchen sink, and the TV was still on. It was obvious that Regina hadn't planned on leaving; otherwise, it would have looked like the inside of a home décor catalog.

Henry sat on the couch next to a vase with drooping red roses. His feet automatically curled under him like a reflex, but he knew—he remembered—that Regina used to scold him for such things. Even if it did seem playful at the time, he thought better of it and placed his feet back on the floor. The red blanket that had been thrown over the couch behind him fell into his lap, so he unfolded it and used it to cover up. The house was chilly, to him at least.

Eventually, boredom took over his youthful mind, and the young lad went to explore the house for anything that could help him bring Regina home. Slowly, as if expecting his mother to reprimand him, he climbed the stairs and entered her bedroom. He had only been in there very few times, on the rare occasion that he would have a nightmare, or when he was younger and slept beside her in the bed. However, as he grew older, his mother kept pushing him to stay in his own room. He knew she let Graham spend the night, but he would never let her know that he knew.

Her room was exactly how he had pictured she would have left it. The ivory bed sheets were tucked perfectly into the bed's underneath, and a silk, cotton-stuffed duvet sat fluffily on top. The pillows were monochromatic, but even they were arranged according to size, shape, and whatever other category Regina had come up with. He scurried over to her bed and picked up one of the pillows, squishing his face into it and inhaling her scent. It brought back memories of when he was little—not that he wasn't still little—and he would hug her, the apple scent filled his nose. He hadn't willingly hugged her in over a year….that much he knew. But he wished he had…he wished his last words to her hadn't been "I hate you." He wished that he hadn't rejected her time and time again. He wished he had his mother back…

But what good was a wish when you had nobody to grant it?

Henry curled into a little ball on top of Regina's hotel-like bed. His head hit the pillows softly as he stared at an invisible spot on the golden ceiling. Before long, the weariness from lack of sleep and hunger wore him out, and his eyes fluttered shut.

* * *

The night's trip back had been long and tiresome. Though it was filled with arguing and yelling for most of the way, Charming and Regina managed to squeeze in the semi-playful banter they had known from their previous time in the land. Although, those times were spent with the queen out for Snow White's heart as she used her True Love. Yet, the snip-its and tid-bits she cut in were never meaningful and hardly ever true. However, the time for talking seemed to be over, and a peaceful silence settled in the air. Regina rode atop her horse regally, with the posture Daniel had taught her, but what she acquired, Charming lacked in riding, even though Regina was the one carrying the unconscious pirate on the back of her steed. His hook had been taken off, his sword dismantled, and the strange looking cuffs attached to his pouch had been locked away.

In her fury, Regina had rendered the man unconscious after her talk with Charming. She was sure it was for the best, but the prince hadn't, and that was the root of the disagreement. So, ultimately, the argument had ended in the agreed silence and the sound of hoof beats as they neared closer to her castle.

"You said he hurt you…" Charming finally ruined the silence. "Was it really just because of your mother?" He watched when she looked down and then back to the pirate.

"No." Her hair whirled with every shake of her head. That was all she appeared to want to say.

"You want to talk about it?" He pressed. She glowered at him briefly.

"Why do you care so much?"

"Am I not allowed to care?" He contradicted with an eye roll.

"Keep rolling your eyes, James. You might just find a brain back there." Her tongue was as strident as ever, but she caught his unyielding gaze. "No, you're not. You're not allowed to care."

"And why not?" The prince was honorably engrossed in what she had to say. He liked a puzzle, something to figure out. Snow was often times too foreseeable, but Regina… he never knew what she was thinking or what she was going to say.

"Because. You hate me…and I hate you." The words stung James more than he thought they would even if her look showed she knew she was lying to herself. She didn't hate him… she didn't even hate Snow. Strongly disliked. Those were the words she used.

"That's not true, and you know it." He paused for a moment. "What happened?"

"That's my business." She jibed. Her knees jabbed into the horse's side. "Run Aznavour." Aznavour was named after her great-grandfather, who ruled the land before turning over the thrown to Xavier. So, in short, the black stallion was family. The horse had been one of her trustier stallions after the death of Rocinante. He was loyal, trustworthy, and he never had broken her heart. She couldn't bear to take him with her though. He would have been so unhappy in the new land.

James sighed heavily as he watched her speed off. He bent down and whispered into his mare's ears. "Go, Icarus!" His legs followed suit and the steed took off after Regina. He wouldn't press her any further, though he was still curious as to what the pirate had done to warrant such brutality.

They reached the palace soon after slowing both horses to a mere canter. The gates were already open, and Regina insisted in letting the beasts roam free for a while; they were well trained, after all. She sent the sleeping pirate into the very place she had met him and strode into her fortress. Mulan and Aurora had ventured out, in search of something to cure the precarious nightmares she had been having. Though, Regina figured they were already back, and the princess was probably napping, she went to their chambers anyways.

As she neared the door, she heard cries and calm shushing. "Is everything alright?" She asked, the door creaking as it opened.

"Th-there was a boy!" Aurora looked worriedly to Mulan. "H-he was there, but I only saw his eyes, and his mouth! He was burning!" She sobbed and heaved. "He was crying for his mother, and I couldn't do anything!" The princess buried her face into Mulan's armor and wept for the poor little boy.

* * *

"Henry?" Emma called as she stormed into the mayoral mansion. "Henry! Are you here?"

Her boot-clad feet padded heavily up the stair. The soles thunked against the darkened wood as she passed through the hall, looking from door to door until she reached the mayor's room. On the bed, curled in blankets was Henry. He looked so peaceful, especially since he had been having trouble sleeping as of late. Emma wasn't even sure if he had been sleeping at all! The darkness under his eyes was growing visibly darker, but that's what a month and a week without sleep would do to a person.

Careful, as to not wake him, she sat gently on the bed beside him and pushed away a few strands of hair. At the contact, the boy shot up, screaming. "Ahbdahaha." He breathed. "Emma? Emma!" She noticed the tears welling in his eyes and went to hug him. However, at her touch, again, the boy hissed and recoiled. Emma grabbed him arm and rolled up the sleeve of his navy blue sweater.

"Henry! Are these burns?!" She asked, startled at the bubbling skin of his forearm. Her eyes met his, and for a moment, she saw the want to lie, to lie and say they weren't. But, they both knew why Henry wasn't sleeping.

**I'm about to die of exhaustion. Agh!. Sorry for the wait, and the shortness of this chapter. I was originally going to post this Saturday morning, but I thought it would be nice to hold you over, and I was bored. But this hopefully holds you over, and I hope you will post reviews to hold me over until the premier of Lacy.**

**I'm so scared. **

**Anyways, please review. Take my mind off of the new upcoming episode. It's been giving me writers block, no joke. Let me know what you think! Thanks to all who have followed and reviews and favorited!**


	7. Rumor Has It

**Chapter 7: **

It was almost dark; the sun was setting, the earth beneath her feet was cooling, and a slight mist was rolling in from the meadows. This had always been her favorite time of the day, soft and quiet, but essential. Regina readied herself and pushed her bare feet through the damp grass. Flowers were starting to bloom, and the animals were beginning to show their faces. She slowly stepped through her once fruitful garden and into the pavilion where her apple trees stood. The view from the edge was spectacular, panoramic. She could see all of the little villages in the kingdom, though they were abandoned. It still made for a beautiful sight to behold. Her eyes roamed as she let her mind wander off to distant thoughts.

Charming watched from his balcony as Regina crossed the pathways. She was a sight, and if compared to Snow, both would win the title "Fairest in All the Land." She looked down at a drooping flower, and with a small touch and little magic, it was healthy and stretching for the sunlight that fell over the horizon. Without thinking, he called out to her. "Regina!"

She turned around at the recognition of his voice and smiled.

"Enjoying the view, James?" She leant forward when she called back, as if she were trying to project her opinion further.

"Oh, indeed!" A wide grin spread across his face. "It's the most magnificent sight I've seen in a while!" He knew he wasn't talking about the hills, or the light, or the villages, but he knew she didn't catch him. She smiled wildly back up at him and moved to come inside. James turned on his heel and sprinted down the nearest staircase. His boots thumped clumsily along the way, having nearly caused him to trip almost three times. She was in the dining room by time he reached her, looking down at a map of some sort. When she turned around, he saw the look of determination play valiantly across her features.

"What are you so intrigued with?" He asked her. It was peculiar to see the Evil Queen take up an interest in something other than wanting to kill his wife. Peculiar…but miraculous. Charming had been sure that Regina would forever attempt the life of Snow White, but now, he wasn't so sure. Maybe she could change. Maybe she could be good.

"We can go and get the wardrobe in the morning." Her answer was like a song; it carried a tune to it. Happiness. James watched the smile tug at her mouth and light up her face. She certainly didn't look evil, and she didn't act evil. She was kind to him, stubborn and sarcastic, but kind, and it was weird.

"We can?" He furrowed his brows. "How?" She shoved her hand in front of his face, bringing the magic into it and watching it vanish into the air. "You got your magic back." Realization dawned on him. "The book. I knew I saw you inhale the magic!"

"It was sort of like a kick-start. Or a power jump." She shrugged her shoulders and smiled up at him. "You should get some rest, dear; we have a long day ahead of us." Before she could turn to leave, Charming gripped her shoulder and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Thank you, Regina." He heard her gasp as the words reached her ears and her body stiffened. "Thank you so much." When he set her down, he saw the patterns that the trail of tears left on her rosy cheeks. He cupped her face with one hand and gently wiped away the tears with his thumb. She looked dazed, confused almost, as he looked at her.

"Regina, I—" She abruptly cut him off.

"I am going to go to bed now. I will see you tomorrow, James." She turned on her heel to leave.

"David!"

"Wha—" She turned back around to question him.

"My name, my real name, it's David." He smiled when he saw the hint of playfulness ignite in her brown eyes.

"Well then, goodnight, and I will see you tomorrow, David."

* * *

Henry sat in a wheely chair in the back of Mr. Gold's pawn shop. He had been listening to the imp go on for hours about the difference between a two karat diamond and a two point one karat diamond, and it was getting old very fast.

"Mr. Gold?" The man paused.

"Yes, dearie?"

"Do you have a way to bring back my mom or not?" He rested his face on his chin and leaned forward in his chair, just until it felt as though he might fall out of it.

Rumpelstiltskin sighed heavily. "Not yet, my boy. But I will have one soon enough." Henry continued to eye the shop owner.

"How soon is soon enough?" The brunette boy whined. Rumpelstiltskin smiled eerily at him and leaned down so that he was face to face.

"Soon."

* * *

"James!" Regina shouted through the flames inside the nursery. "James!"

"Regina?" He crawled under the thick black smoke, to the entrance of Emma's baby room. She had never even spent a night in the room, and yet it was already so old and worn, as if in the time he had been gone, someone had occupied the space for him. It was as though someone had made sure that the work and love put into the room didn't go to waste, and here it was, burning from the inside out.

When David reached Regina, she was standing beside the burning wardrobe. The smoke swirled around her in billowing puffs and caught on her clothes and in her hair. She was coughing heavily and scurrying around to search for him, but the smoke was in her eyes, her vision was black, and she couldn't find her way out. When a warm hand grabbed her ankle and pulled her to the floor, she screamed loudly, but only for a moment.

"Hey, you okay?" Regina recognized the voice, deep and warm. _David_.

"Yeah," She croaked. Her hand grabbed the fabric of her shirt and pulled it over her mouth so that she could breathe easily.

"Good, let's go." Charming grabbed her hand, ignoring the little spark he felt at the touch of her hand, and dragged her out of the burning room. He gripped the doorframe as he reached it, Regina following suit as she pulled her own body out through the door. The two continued to crawl through the halls under the blanket of thick black smoke.

"Jam—David," Regina breathed heavily. "Are you alright?" The man turned and sat back on his haunches to lean against the cold stone wall, a welcome coolness to take pause from the heat of the burning fire.

"Yeah…yeah I'm good." Charming shot a bright smile at the queen. "Are you?"

"I'm fine." Regina joined him on the wall, leaning her body weight against it and relishing in the icy stone. "So, what are we going to do now that the wardrobe is gone?"

"I…I don't really know." He sighed in return. Bracing himself against the wall, he pushed himself to his feet and turned to pull Regina up with him. "But, I think we should get back to the castle before your mother returns."

"I agree." The witch reached out and took his palms in her hands and smirked as she noticed him tense up. The teasing dance they had been doing was getting more fun by the day, while it did make their encounters slightly uncomfortable. However, there was no mistaking the tingle that shot through her every time they touched, every time they looked at each other. But it felt good, and that was something she couldn't—wouldn't—explain.

A loud bang, followed by a crash, sounded throughout the halls. David looked at Regina, dazed and slightly disoriented, but worried nonetheless. "What the hell was that?"

"I don't know, but we need to get out of here." She looked up at him with worried eyes just as a large creature stepped from the shadows. Her neck snapped to the side to stare at the horrifying beast. "Shit."

"What?"

"It's an enchanted creature." She said. "It's not really even a creature, just a spell. They're known as Rumors, and my mother just so happens to have one as a 'pet.'"

"So how do we get away?" David backed out, receiving a growl from the shadowed creature. "Can't you use magic?"

"It's an enchanted creature meaning that it's immune to magic. It was created with a spell, so magic will only make it stronger, more powerful." She explained as she grabbed his hand and pulled him forward. "We don't leave…we wait."

"Uh…okay…so how do you defeat these 'Rumors?'" He asked after a moment of silence.

"They're creatures of the dark, so light or fire should do the trick." Regina pointed over to the fiery room, still ablaze with the ashes of the wardrobe. "We go through the room and out the window, and it won't follow us." David was already ahead of her. He gripped the hand that was already in his and pulled her through the room. The smoke was still thick, and it was still hard to breathe, but he could faintly see the morning light through the window. How long had they been in there? How long had that confrontation been? "Okay," He stopped at the balcony with is hands resting on the banister. "How do we get down?"

"These." Regina came up behind him with the tattered remains of the curtains that she had managed to salvage. She threw them over the golden railing and tied a knot through one of the holes. "We climb."

David stared in awe as the woman scaled the side of the castle, but his mouth closed he followed shortly after her. His feet lodged in every crack, every protruding piece of stone, and his hands gripped the curtains tightly. One foot after the other, he made his way down. The mud at the bottom stuck to his boots and dirtied his riding pants, but he didn't think on it as Regina grabbed his hand and pulled him into the forest.

"It shouldn't be able to trace us. It can't go out in daylight, but there are still many…dangers…in this forest. We need to hurry." She turned on her heel and stepped over the branches littering the forest floor. Her feet carried her farther and faster with every click of her toes, and she knew David was right behind her. He wasn't the quietest of escape artists. As she paced over a small branch, her toes caught a rock, and she fell to the damp ground.

Her hands shot out to catch herself, and she landed with a "thud." It stung when her body hit the dirt, even though it was softer because of the morning time. She pushed up on her arms, hands digging further into the mud. "Ow."

Regina didn't miss the faint laughter coming from behind her. She turned and scowled up at David. "You think this is funny?"

"Well, I'm sure as hell laughing about it." He held his stomach while he laughed and doubled over.

"Yeah, well I'm no—" The queen gasped in shock, causing David's laughter to come to an abrupt end. In her hand, she held the small silver object.

"What is it?" David asked as he watched the tears fall from her eyes and a hand raise to cover her mouth to stop the sobs.

She dusted it off quickly, to make sure it was really what she thought it was. The little inscribed DR on the inside caused her to cry out in pain. "I-I-It's m-my engagement r-ring." She sobbed. David stepped forward and took a seat next to her. He rubbed small, soothing circles in the middle of her back. Before he could say anything, a plume of purple smoke appeared in the air and Regina was gone.

"Regina!" He called out. "Dammit."

* * *

Regina re-appeared in a large field, staring at the ring that was fitted around her finger. It was really her ring, it was really _Daniel's_ ring.

**Um okay, so so so sorry for the super long wait. Like what the crap? I don't even know. Guess I've been busy, and I had a super long case of writers block… So, please leave any suggestions, reviews, SUGGESTIONS, or anything you think I could fix, cause guys, I need to know! Hahaha. Until…well the next time I update…I've been practically dying over this weeks episode by the way….THEY LEFT US WITH SUCH A CLIFFY! AND NOW IM STILL FREAKING OUT! Ugh. Hhaha well, I'll try to update real soon! Thanks for all of the follows, reviews, faves:) It made my dayyy! **


	8. Reuben

Regina sat at the cool and withering gravestone displayed oddly in the green field outside of her childhood home. Inscribed on the stone was his name, _Daniel_, and two, small but meaningful sentences below it, but she knew that wouldn't suffice. There was so much she had wanted to put on there, so much she had wanted to say, but she never got the chance. The measly two sentences were the best she could do.

Her eyes were beginning to burn, partly from the unshed tears that she fought to retain, and partly because she hadn't taken her eyes away from the neat scrawl on the tombstone. The wind had picked up and was blowing her hair around her face, but her eyes remained glued to the words, like they had captivated her. Her arms came to rest leisurely on her knees, which were bent as she knelt down in the tall, green grass. Her fingers, hands laced together, came to fiddle with the ring that crowned her finger. Daniel's ring was the only one that would ever occupy her left ring finger. They say that the wedding ring should go on that finger, because it is the only finger on either of the hands that has a vein connecting directly to the heart. Regina found that endearing, and had vowed to never take the ring off again as long as she lived. It would become a part of her, in life and death, her newest emblem.

"Well, Your Majesty. It seems I know you too well." The thick accent struck her immediately, and her head whipped around to meet the face of the scraggly pirate.

"What do you want, Hook?" She growled, teeth clenched and hands grasping the fabric of her riding pants.

"Your prince has been looking for you, love. When he couldn't find you, he enlisted my help." Hook's sheepish grin lit up his face. He was being playful in a desperate attempt to lighten her mood. She had always liked that about him. No matter how dire the situation, he always seemed to want her to be happy. The corners of her mouth twitched upward in remembrance.

"Well, you've found me, Killian." She was too tired to fight him. She wanted to, oh how she wanted to ring his little neck with her bare hands, but the energy just simply wasn't there. Instead, it was replaced with the solemn and hollow voice of a woman who had lost everything and still managed to live to tell the tale. "I suppose it's time to go back then?"

"Not so fast. I have a little surprise for you, love. A little…I'm sorry present, if you must." He took her hands in his. "Take us to King George's kingdom."

* * *

"It's ready?" Emma asked with a stern face. Gold nodded once and handed her the glowing blue talisman. "And you're sure this will stop his nightmares?" She asked as she examined the unusual necklace. It wasn't the safest option, but she knew it had to be done.

"Emma," called Snow. "I don't know if this is the best idea. I mean, it's Rumpelstiltskin. Can we really trust him to help Henry?"

"I don't know, but right now, Henry is getting hurt." She sighed. "This is our only option."

"There's always another option. I could go and speak with Blue, or ask Grumpy if he can talk to Astrid." Her mother argued. Emma knew she wanted what was best for Henry, but he was hurting, and his best chance was already there.

"No, no. It's alright. This will do." She nodded once in reassurance, and after seeing that Snow had come to terms with her decision, she shoved the glowing orb in her pocket. "Come on. Red wanted to speak with us about Wolf's Time."

* * *

"Killian, where are we going?" Regina whined as he pulled her along a dark corridor.

"To see someone."

"Well, I know that. But where?" She scoffed. He rounded a corner and pushed her out in front of him. She stumbled a little as he stifled a laugh. Her eyes trailed upward, catching sight of the men that sat in the corners of the room, each with a drink in their hand and a friend to laugh with. They were all familiar, she knew that, but there was something…different…about the way they laughed and spoke that caught her off guard. In a good way.

When Regina's eyes continued to scan the room, she realized just who they were. It was her army, part of her army. A few men that had survived or had been left behind after the curse. She recognized only a few as leading lieutenants, and only one as the commanding general. She smiled widely when he saw her and stood.

"Y-Your Majesty!" He called shocked and started to take a bow. "It is good to see you!"

"Reuben!" Regina slowly approached him and placed her hands on his forearms. The man stood just over seven feet tall, broad shouldered, and muscular. His blonde hair hung just at his shoulders in messy tangles, and where a scruffy beard used to reside was a clean shaven face. His square jaw was set in a grin as he took in the woman he never thought he would see again. His large frame towered over hers, as usual, but the air of strength around her had vanished. This, he had come to realize, was new, different. And it wasn't good.

Regina caught his lingering gaze. "What?" She smiled. "What is it?"

"You're different." His heavy, strine accent filled the air. It was heavier than Hook's, but it made the man seem stronger, more forceful. Regina sighed at his statement. "What's happened?"

"I need to get back to my son." His eyes widened, and she continued. "Come, we have much to catch up on."

* * *

"Dammit…" Charming muttered as he looked out the heavy, stained glass window that looked out to the fields. Regina should have been back. Hell, she shouldn't have run off in the first place. He paced back and forth, continuously checking the field to see if the horses would come riding over.

"My, my, Charming. Waiting up for me?" The prince jumped from his place by the window and spun around.

"Gods! Regina!" He stumbled over the small table and furniture to where she was. His heavy hands gripped her shoulders tightly. "Thank god you're okay!" When David pulled her into him, she froze, unsure of what to do. Her arms came up to lightly hold his back, but she surprised herself when she gave him a firm squeeze and buried her face into his jacket. It was comforting to know she had somebody who cared enough to worry about her, even if it was just because she was his way home.

They stood in their embrace for only moments until a sudden cough erupted from behind them. Regina dropped her hands and turned to face Reuben. "Yes, um," she smoothed out the nonexistent wrinkles on the front of her jodhpurs. "Reuben, this is Charming. Charming, this is my friend…Reuben."

Charming stepped forward, head tilted upward so he could see the man's face, and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, Reuben. So…uh…how do you know each other?"

"I am…was…General Reuben Forceton of Her Majesty's army." He smiled proudly. Regina slapped his gut.

"Oh, please." She scoffed. "Reuben here was the head of my military forces. Youngest Army General in the history of all of the kingdoms. But, more importantly, he was my favorite guard." Reuben laughed heartily.

"Yeah, we've been best friends for a long time, eh 'Gina?" They both laughed.

"'Gina?" Charming huffed with a surprised laugh. He was disappointed that he didn't have that kind of friendship with the woman. It looked like it would have been an amazing experience.

"Oh, no. Not you too." Reuben patted Charming on the back and chuckled at Regina's response. It was strange, seeing her like this. She seemed happy almost, and if he didn't know any better, he would have thought they were long lost siblings with the way they teased each other mercilessly. He watched in astonishment as they badgered each other and brought about old memories. It was a refreshing sight, one he hoped to see more of.

Hours later, after Regina had gone to her chambers for the night, Reuben and Charming sat in the sitting room for a while and talked. They got along quite well when they weren't arguing over war strategies and trying to come up with a way to get back to Storybrooke. The general would be going with them, Regina had decided. She wouldn't leave him again.

"So, you're Prince Charming, eh?" Reuben asked with a sly smile. "Snow White's infamous prince. You know," he joked lightly. "Rumor has it that the Queen wants Snow dead."

Charming chuckled lightly. "Oh, yes. So I've heard." There was a long pause as he gathered his thoughts. "I think she's changing, though. We've become…friends…I think."

"Yeh, 'Gina definitely likes you, Prince." With a quick glance to her chamber doors, he whispered. "She only acts this way with people she likes."

There was something about Reuben Forceton that stuck the Prince as odd, and yet it was amusing. How had someone managed to see past Regina's flaws, all of the people she had murdered, and actually be her friend? He supposed it was because Reuben had possibly known the real Regina before she turned into the Evil Queen, and that was why they still treated each other like brother and sister. Still, it was odd, and he couldn't quite wrap his head around the idea of Regina smiling and laughing with one of her good friends.

After a few more drinks and another long discussion about getting back to Storybrooke, James decided he would turn in. He stood slowly, for the alcohol had taken its toll, and walked past the long narrow halls to the chamber Regina had allowed him to use. It was large, and the bed was soft, so sleep came easy to the man. It wasn't long before his eyes fluttered closed.

* * *

"Emma!" Henry screamed as he awoke with a start. "They're alive! They're alive!"

Emma came bounding down the hallway. "What's wrong, Kid?"

"Where's Grandma?" He looked around hurriedly until Snow sauntered into the room.

"Is everything okay? Henry, what's going on?"

"They're alive! Mom and grandpa, they're alive! They're alive!" Snow dropped the dish she had been holding and scurried over to sit on his bed.

"What?" She asked. "How do you know?" Henry smiled widely and began to tell his story.

"The red room, it's where people go after they've woken up from a sleeping curse." Snow nodded. "Sleeping Beauty was in there, and it seems she and Mulan have found Mom and Grandpa! She said they're alive!"

"Did she say anything else, Henry? Anything at all?" Henry's face turned solemn and grave. His eyes turned down to look at the sheets as he fiddled with them in his hand. His mouth was pulled down in a sad frown.

"Yeah, she did." His eyes met Snow's. "They're going against something big. Her mother."

"Cora?"

"Yeah, and Aurora doesn't think the odds are in their favor."

**Okay, I am SO SO SO SO SO SO sorry for the long wait. School…ugh. If I could just write all day every day, I think I would be soo happy. WHO ELSE IS NERVOUS ABOUT THIS WEEKS EPISODE?! YEAH! ME TOO! It's still giving me writers block cause I'm so nervous!**

**Please Read and Review, I need suggestions:) I will try to update sooner, cause I think I know what I'm going to do…YAY!**


	9. Cider

It had only been a few days since Henry had received the talisman that Emma had gotten from Gold. It didn't really stop the nightmares, but he could control the fires and that was good enough. The burns had already started healing, some turned brown, others turned yellowish. They didn't hurt though, and he supposed that was at least a good part, but he hurt. He did, in his heart. It felt empty and needy. He needed Regina, he needed his mom, but most of all, he loved her. As he sat on the dusty old couch in Snow's apartment, he guessed that was why he hurt.

Henry still visited Rumple, he called him that after learning it was Regina's nickname for him. The older man hated it, but it often times gave Henry something to laugh about. However, the young boy had yet to come to terms with the information that getting David and Regina back may have never been an option. Rumple had found that even if Henry performed the magic, there was still too great a chance that Cora would come through the portal. And that was a risk he simply would not take, so he stopped teaching Henry the skills. He insisted that Regina would find another portal from the Enchanted Forest, even if she couldn't retrieve the wardrobe.

"Henry, it's time to go." Henry heard Emma call from down the hall.

"Yeah, coming!" He grabbed the handle of his red backpack and turned to leave. Before he could reach the door, however, he heard the loud chirping from the windowsill. He craned his neck to the sound, catching a glimpse of a small blue bird sitting on the sill. "Hey, Little Guy." Henry slowly moved over to the kitchen sink and stuck his small hand out of the window. The little blue bird happily hopped onto his finger and chirped loudly. "You hungry?" He slowly reached for the bread box and broke off a slice before giving the little crumbs to the bird. When he heard his mother's footsteps come nearer, he placed the rest of the bread outside of the window and ran to grab his bag.

"Come on, Kid. And close the window…it's cold outside." Emma grabbed her red leather jacket and opened the front door.

"Yeah, sorry." He muttered under his breath as he slung his bag over his right shoulder. He followed Emma closely out the door before turning to see the bird still looking through the window. "See yah…Lil' Blue." He smiled, yeah, he liked it. Lil' Blue.

After they rounded the corner and walked into Mr. Gold's shop, Henry plopped down in one of the vintage bean bag chairs in the back of the store. He wasn't sure when they had gotten there, but they were comfy and soft. "Hey, Rumple." He greeted when Gold walked in.

"Hi." The man muttered beneath his breath as he shook his head. He really hated the nick name.

"So, have you figured anything out yet?"

"Well, I have a way to connect the portal to our world…that is with the belief that Regina can open one on the other side." Rumple explained as he mixed together a shiny pink and blue liquid. The bottle glowed a soft purple as a puff of smoke pooled over the lid. He smiled. "You want to do it?"

"Yes!" Henry leapt up and took the bottle, grabbing Rumple's hand as he transported them to the well.

"Okay, poor it around the edge of the well. Neatly." He instructed to the young boy. Henry popped the cork out of the bottle and tilted it so that it would drain slowly. The purple liquid disappeared once it touched the stone, but Henry continued and finished the circle around the water hole. "Good. Regina should feel it."

"Why should my mom feel it?" The young boy raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

"Because I used a strand of her hair. It is like a compass, Henry. Any portal she opens, or enters, will lead her directly to Storybrooke." The imp explained. He chuckled lightly when Henry narrowed his eyes at him. "And," He added. "It allows as many people to enter, as long as they are touching her. Make sense?" Henry nodded. "Good. It seems as though we are finished." Gold nodded and transported them back to the pawn shop. He smiled when Henry took his usual seat in the bean bag. He had gotten them especially for when the boy came to visit.

It was strange, but Rumple was growing more fond of the lad with each passing day. He reminded him so much of Baelfire, and he had almost mistakenly called him that on many occasions. Henry was becoming like a…nephew…to Rumple. He even looked forward to the time they shared together every day. It was nice, and he almost felt whole and not as lonely as he had before. Of course, he still had Belle, but the comfort of a child was refreshing. He relished in it.

* * *

Regina awoke with a start. She wiped away the cold sweat from her forehead, and sat up in her bed. Her fingers tingled with the new suspicion of magic, and, as she looked in the mirror across from the bed, she saw that her eyes were glowing purple. It wasn't the purple that appeared when she was angry or upset, but a soft lilac color. "Thank you, Rumple." She breathed when she realized what he had done. She dragged a hand through her tangled hair before grabbing the brush and yanking the knots out. She could have just used magic, but she didn't feel like it, and she was trying to better herself before she got back to Henry.

"Regina, you up?" The thick accented voice made her smile.

"Yeah, be out in a second." She called. She heard the light laughter and conversation the two men were having in the hall. Quickly, she threw on a pair of clean, beige jodhpurs and a white riding hood. It came down to her knees, where it opened a slight bit for mobility, and it had no sleeves. There were two small holes for her hands, and large pockets that hung loosely on the inside of the coat. She planted her feet inside of her boots before leaning down and zipping them up.

She stopped in front of the mirror on the wall, half expecting to see Sidney again. Regina examined herself, turning from side to side before smiling and walking out of the room. She didn't know what made her want to look nice. She wasn't attracted to Reuben, he was like her brother, and Charming… She stopped. Perhaps she was slightly attracted to the prince. He was handsome and kind, and sometimes he could be funny. Regina shook her head. No, she wouldn't be that woman. The one that broke up Snow White and Prince Charming, and besides, she was sure he didn't even like her that much. She was, after all, his only ride home.

When Regina stepped out, the two men waiting outside of her door stopped. She noticed Charming slightly look her over, his mouth open slightly. Reuben smiled at her changed appearance, for it was nice to see her in something other than black. "Okay," she smiled. "Where too?"

"Why are your eyes purple?" Charming asked when he saw them. He leaned in closer, to the point where she could feel his hot breath on her face. Her breathing hitched slightly.

"Rumple." His eyes widened. "He opened up a tethering spell to help us get home. I felt it when I woke up this morning."

"Does it hurt?" He asked cautiously. When Regina shook her head, he nodded and followed her down to the stables.

Reuben smiled when he saw the queen's breathing stop momentarily. She liked the prince, and more than just a friend. He had noticed the day before when he had hugged her and she had buried her head into his jacket, and the way she hung onto his every word during their late night conversation. It was obvious…Regina was falling for Prince Charming.

And the prince was in the same boat. He was always worried about her, but Reuben wasn't sure whether that was because it was his natural want to help people, or because he really did like her. But he caught the stolen glances and how the prince's eyes widened whenever he saw her. He lost his train of thought whenever she was around as well, but the warrior had decided to leave it alone for the time being.

"James! Regina!" The trio stopped abruptly and turned around to see Mulan. "It's Aurora. She has had a dream."

Regina rolled her eyes, it was common for Aurora to have nightmares, and although she felt bad, the constant worry over her was getting rather tiresome.

"She met a boy in the red room." The queen looked up suddenly. It had never been heard of that someone meet someone whilst in the red room. "He said his name was Henry."

"David, you don't think…" Regina trailed off and turned to face him.

"Come on, we need to talk with her." James grabbed her hand and pulled her into a sprint, leading them off to Aurora's chambers.

* * *

"He said his name was Henry, that I shouldn't be afraid." Aurora explained. "He had this…this…necklace on. It was blue…and shiny, and he said it would control the flames."

"Rumple." Regina whispered thankfully. "Thank gods."

"Once we figured out that we were both real people, he asked me if I had seen you, and then he got really happy when I answered, and then after I told him about the wardrobe and Cora he…. But…but he got pulled away really fast after that. I don't know what happened." Regina smiled gratefully.

"That's okay, just…tell me immediately if you see him again?" Aurora nodded as the brunette let out a sigh of relief. "David…we need to get those ashes."

"Today?" He paused and gave her an inquisitive look.

"Yes, before my mother figures it out." She gripped his hands tightly. "Reuben, come on." He took one of her hands in his own, and James' in his other. Purple smoke gathered at his feet and he closed his eyes.

When he opened them, they were in the nursery.

"Dammit!" He heard.

"What?"

"She got them." Regina spat. "She got the ashes….dammit!" The curtains and windows blew with her rising anger.

"Calm down, Regina." James wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into him. "It's okay, we'll get there." The shock that he had hugged the woman once again finally wore off, and James pulled her in tighter. She fit perfectly, though she was shorter than he by almost a foot and a half. He had never really noticed how tiny she was with her heels. It was funny, and dare he say it, he though she was sort of cute when she was short.

"It isn't okay, David. She'll get Henry if we don't do something, and I won't lose someone else." She whispered into his jacket. He gave her one last squeeze before releasing her. "Let's go," she sighed, and everything went purple.

* * *

Reuben had gone to bed after they had returned. He supposed he was still hung over from the massive amounts of beer and cider he had downed the day before. Regina fixed herself another glass of the toxic drink and plopped herself on the large white couch next to Charming. "What are we going to do?" She asked to no one in particular. James knew that, but he answered anyways.

"Find another way, go home, close off the portal, and live happily ever after." Regina allowed the edges of her mouth to curl up slightly at the comment, and she breathed out a laugh.

"Yeah, I'm sure." She quipped. They both chuckled lowly at her sharp tongue. "David…do…do you…do you hate me?" She asked after working up the courage.

"No, of course not! I've never hated you Regina…sure it came pretty close when you poisoned Snow….and then the curse…but I don't hate you." When he smiled at her, her stomach knotted and she could feel her heart fluttering. He had moved closer to her on the couch. Their sides were touching, and he held on of her hands in his. "I think…I think you're lonely, and you haven't loved somebody in a really long time, and maybe you forgot how…and you decided to take it all out on Snow, because she broke her promise and it ruined your life…and you didn't…know…how to cope. And you just took the wrong path, and it was hard to let people in, but I don't hate you Regina." He stopped his babbling and realized that they were only mere inches apart. His eyes darted down to her lips and back up to her eyes. They looked just as confused as he felt, but it didn't stop him.

He placed his lips gently on hers, waiting for permission to deepen the kiss. He grabbed her waist and pulled her into him as he kissed her harder. He had lost all coherent thought along the way, and he supposed that if they were both thinking straight, the kiss never would have happened. Regina placed her hands on the side of his face to pull him closer before resting one on his chest. She wasn't thinking either, and when her glass of cider hit the floor, she snapped. She pulled away, eyes still closed, and breath heavy.

Her cheeks reddened when she realized what had happened, and she scooted herself away from him, missing the warmth almost immediately. "David…I'm so…" She coughed to try and clear her throat.

"Yeah…me too." He muttered, unable to meet her eyes.

"Well, I'm just…I'm going to go." She stood and smoothed out her coat. She turned and immediately brought a hand to her lips and let out a sigh. This couldn't happen. She wouldn't let it.

"Regina! Wait!" Regina turned around. The prince got up off the couch and slowly walked over to her. He placed a hand under her chin and tilted her head up so that she looked him in the eye. He pressed his mouth firmly on hers again before pulling away. "I meant it." He whispered and let her go.

He turned and walked out of the room, leaving Regina standing in the middle of it on the black fur carpet. Her hand was still raised to her lips, her eyes wide with shock. A smile ghosted across her features as she turned and opened her chamber door. Her mind was still racing, but it was late and she was far too tired to try and comprehend what had happened. But, she still couldn't shake the feel of the kiss, even as her eyes fluttered shut.

**Hehehe. So, read and review?:) Leave me suggestions, (please) thoughts, anything. Please. I'll try to get the next chapter up by….tomorrow or Tuesday at the latest. **


	10. Stolen

Regina sat at the small brown desk in her chambers with her head in her hands. She didn't know what to do, she didn't want to do anything. It was all just so confusing. Quickly, as if to silence her thoughts, she grabbed the half emptied bottle of rum off of its coaster and downed it. It burned when it slid down her throat, but almost instantly her woes had disappeared. The alcohol made her brain fuzzy, and she very suddenly felt drained of all energy.

Quietly, she scooted her chair back and climbed back into her soft bed. She couldn't sleep, she had figured that out the night before, though she did close her eyes and pray to the gods that everything would just sort itself out…but that was asking a little much. Nothing ever worked out for her, anyways.

"'Gina, you in there?" Reuben's loud voice echoed off of her chamber walls. For a moment, she debated on whether or not to answer him.

"Yeah," she finally called. "Come on in." The door creaked open and the tall, muscular man stepped into the room. He frowned at her when he saw her rolled in the bed sheets.

"You alright?" Reuben cautiously paced over to her side and plopped down on the bed beside her.

"No." She sighed and shook her head. "Charming…he kissed me, and…I don't know what to do."

Reuben had no plausible answer, so he sat and let her cry into her pillow for as long as she needed. He rubbed circles on her back, and shushed her silent sobs. Regina's cheeks reddened when she realized she had begun to cry, and she immediately wiped away the tears and shook away her sorrows.

"Sorry…I.."

"No need to apologize. I get it." He smiled and pulled her from the bed. "Okay, so we've come up with a plan."

"Mmhmm."

"Aurora had another dream, and she said that there is a compass that can lead you through portals."

"Yes, and we don't need it." Regina raised her eyebrow and crossed her arms.

"Yes, I know that. But, your mother needs it."

"Right." She whispered and nodded her head. "So, we find the compass and destroy it."

"Yes, but there is a slight problem." Regina narrowed her eyes at the tall man. "It's up the beanstalk."

"Damn."

* * *

After gathering together and transporting everyone to the base of the beanstalk, it was decided that Regina and Charming would be the ones to climb it. Reuben and Mulan would be better off defending Aurora if anything were to happen.

Regina wasn't too happy about the plan, but if it helped stop her mother, she would do anything. She gripped the giant plant stem and looked down the thousands of feet to the solid ground. Of course, for her, she could stop her fall at any time, but she was more worried for Charming's sake. He looked as steady as ever though, even through the awkward silence.

"So," Regina finally shouted.

"So!" He yelled back and smiled when she returned a glare.

"Last night…Charming..I" She was abruptly cut off when he gripped her arm and pulled her through a hole. When she got to her feet, she realized they had reached the top, and before she had time to react, he had planted a kiss on her lips. She felt herself responding before she had time to process what was going on, and when she did, she placed a hand on his chest and firmly but gently pushed him away. "What are we doing?"

"I don't know." He shrugged with a smile and gave her another peck on the lips. "But I like it." He grabbed her hand and laced their fingers together. Regina stopped mid stride and pulled him back to face her.

"We can't do this…this…whatever this is. I don't know what got into your head…but no."

"Nothing got into my head Regina. Hell! I don't even know what's going on…but I like you." He kissed her fingers gently.

"Yeah," she pulled her hand back. "I like you too—"

"So why not?" He asked as he stepped closer.

"Have you forgotten about Snow? And Emma? And Henry?" She didn't miss the look of guilt that passed over his features, and it almost made her feel guilty too. "Charming, this is wrong. I'm the Evil Queen, and I think this is wrong. There has to be boundaries if that's the case." She shook her head slowly.

"I know." Charming looked at his shoes. It reminded Regina of a schoolboy who had gotten into trouble, and she had to stifle a laugh. "I'm sorry." He quickly added, and it almost made Regina feel bad.

"Don't be sorry. I like you too… but I don't think you want to cheat on your wife." She stated matter-of-factly.

"Regina, there is a very slim chance that we will be able to get back to Storybrooke, and we both know it." He looked as if he were trying to convince himself of what he was doing. However, it didn't seem ot be working; the man looked torn.

"I know." She shook her head and looked at the ground.

"And I really like you." He moved closer to her. She could feel his hot breath on her cheek. "A lot."

"I know." She whispered. A firm hand tilted her head up and held the base of her neck. She closed her eyes when his lips ghosted over hers. "I like you too."

"I know." He smirked in response and kissed her. Hard. She threw her arms around his neck and pulled herself up on her toes. His hands held her waist to keep her balanced until a loud stomp sent them stumbling away from each other. "What the hell?"

"It's the giant!" Regina shouted. "Run!" The two sprinted off in opposite directions, which Charming soon found to be a huge mistake.

"Hello, Darling." He heard the cold voice near Regina before she did; it sent shivers down his spine.

"Mother." She nodded brusquely. "I'm assuming you've found what you came for." When Cora dangled the shiny compass from her hand, Regina's face visibly darkened. She made for the object but was quickly restrained and thrown away.

"Really, sweetie. I though you knew better." Cora clucked her tongue and vanished in a cloud of smoke. James took the opportunity to run over to her side and help the queen to her feet.

"Dammit." She breathed. She grabbed David's hands and let him pull her to her feet. His arm naturally curled around her waist and pulled her into his side where his hand rested on her hip. They watched the smoke dissipate in silence before deciding to climb down the beanstalk.

* * *

Reuben was sitting with Mulan and Aurora when he heard the crunching sound. He spun around, only to be met with the sight of Cora disappearing with Aurora. "No!" He lunged forward and stabbed into thin air. He paused, taking the moment to look around the field.

They were nowhere in sight. He and Mulan sat, defeated, on the cool spring grass as they awaited the return of James and Regina, which didn't take long. The two hopped from the beanstalk only moments after the princess' disappearance.

"Where is she?" Regina surveyed after glancing at the two. She sighed when she received no answer. "Mother." The statement came out a low growl, frightening to those who didn't know her.

"Is there any other way to open a portal?" Mulan asked. "Because we're screwed if there isn't.

"Magic beans will work, but they went extinct a long time ago." Regina shook her head; a hand tapped her lightly on the shoulder. Her head whipped around to see the Prince's smiling face.

"Well, I just maybe happened to snag this." He held up a small chain, and from it, dangled a shriveled up bean.

"It's dead, David. You really expected that to work?" She drawled, head bobbling on her shoulders as she crossed her arms and awaited a response.

"Well, not like this, no. But there is still Lake Nostos." He smiled when her eyes widened and her mouth turned upward into a grin. "I know, I'm a whole lot smarter than I look. You can thank me later." When he saw that Reuben and Mulan were turned around and succumbed in a deep conversation, he bent down and kissed her quickly. "Or now."

Regina smiled. She still didn't know what to make of the situation, even though every fiber of her being was telling her to get the hell out. It was confusing and exhilarating all at the same time, though they were just stolen kisses and linked hands.

**Yeah, so I decided to update today:) I'm like super happy with the finale, not the Henry part, but the whole Regina part, that was so sad. So I'm hoping to update maybe tomorrow or Wednesday… Hopefully. And soon after that, updates should appear A LOT more frequently, because it wil be SUMMERRRR oh yeah! So review if yah want more, or if you have any suggestions. **


	11. Time

**So, I am so very bored, and this is what I came up with…**

Emma shook her head. Things—the stories—in this town were getting to be far too much to handle. This wasn't what she had signed on for, not a curse or hundreds of fairytale characters, not an Evil Queen, or having Snow White and Prince Charming as her parents. She didn't sign up for Henry, but he was perhaps the only good thing that had come of this wretched curse.

Yes, it seemed that faith was testing her.

It was waiting to see how far it would have to push her until she broke, until she couldn't handle it anymore and she left. She supposed she could see how that would be all fun and games…she wasn't an easy person to break, but this curse was coming damn well close to doing so. But she was too strong, too powerful. She was not weak.

No, if there was anything Emma Swan was not, that was weak.

She lay on her back in the middle of her small bed, arms tucked behind her head with her elbows sticking out. The day had been long and trying, but that was what was expected of the so-called princess. She closed her eyes tightly and took in a deep breath. The silence was welcoming, she found, and released the breath.

"Emma!" The shout rang from downstairs and reached her ears in an unpleasant, loud shrill. She groaned inwardly and turned over so that her face was buried in the pillow and her arms were stretched out beside her. "Emma!" It came again.

The blonde picked her head up out of the cushion, mouth set in a deep frown. "What?" She hollered.

When she received no response, she trundled off of the soft duvet and barreled down the wooden stairs. "What?" She repeated.

"Grumpy needs you at the station." Snow turned around and smiled as she leaned back against the countertop of the small kitchen, her hands spreading of the edge to provide support.

"No." Emma shook her head. "Nuh uh…He told me he would take the night shift tonight. There is no way I'm working another one." It was true, the dwarf had promised her the night off, seeing as she had had so many late night shifts and she could barely keep her eyes open for more than a few seconds at a time. Her limbs had started to feel very heavy, and all she wanted to do was curl up in bed and sleep.

"Fine," Snow sighed when she noticed the dark bags under her daughter's eyes. "I'll call him." She walked out of the room, and Emma visibly relaxed. The silence prevailed on the room once more, and she took the time to enjoy it. Life had been anything but easy with her, Snow, and Henry looking for ways to bring Regina and David back, and she painfully admitted that, while she was a strong one, she needed her rest. She felt beaten as her eyes closed.

When Henry walked in, Emma was too far gone that his presence didn't even wake her, so he quietly went to the kitchen. The window with the bird was still wide open; the breeze flowed through the room with a comforting afternoon smell. Though, it was still pretty cold outside, but he assumed that, since it was springtime, the weather would start to warm up.

Henry stopped in front of the refrigerator and grabbed the red marker that sat on the edge of the counter. The cap popped off and the tip drew another large, red x over the date. _Four months, twenty six days… _He inwardly sighed.

* * *

Regina groaned as the morning light seeped through the slightly opened curtains and onto her closed eyes. She rolled over so that she wasn't facing the light, only it didn't help much. The beams slowly began to fill the room until it was bright, and she was forced to drag her tired body out of bed.

The past three weeks had been difficult after retrieving the magic beans. Things with her and James were going quite well even if neither knew what to make of the strange scenario. She pulled on her jodhpurs and boots and marched her way into the dining room.

David was already downing his breakfast beside Reuben when she walked in. Both gentlemen stood and greeted her for the morning. "Good morning." David smiled, and kissed her on the cheek. Regina smiled as a pink blush spread over her face.

"Good morning." She smiled and kissed him right back on the mouth. Reuben, having already said his hellos, took the quiet display of affection as his queue to leave the room, and shuffled out with his plate in hand.

"Smart man." David commented.

"What do you mean?" She raised her eyebrow, gasping when his arms snaked around her waist and pulled her in for another kiss. "Well, hello to you too."

"What are the plans for today?" He smirked and pulled her onto his lap.

"Well, we still have to find Aurora. I've checked everywhere, but…" She trailed off, hand still in the air before it drop loosely to her lap.

"Well, I guess that's where we start."

"No, we can be doing other things in preparation. I have asked Reuben to see to finding her. He and Mulan seem to like each other." Regina grinned and raised her eyebrows, eliciting a light laugh from the both of them. "I have an idea though…"

"And what might that be?" James questioned as he pressed his forehead to hers.

Regina pulled back warily and frowned. "I have created this…potion…that will let me into the Red Room, so that maybe I can speak with Henry."

"And what is this potion?" The smile had long since disappeared from James' face and was replaced with a grim line as he pursed his lips together in worry.

"A concentrated form of the sleeping curse." She winced when his face turned dark and angry.

"Regina, you cannot be serious! A sleeping curse? How are you going to wake up?" He shouted.

"I will be able to wake myself up James." She lied. "Don't worry."

"No." He shook his head. "No way."

"You're not in charge of me, Charming." She spoke coldly, the voice of the Evil Queen lacing her words. He let her go as she stood and walked from the room.

**Yeah, it's short, buttttt…..yeah. Review if you have any other suggestions, and to the reviewer who requested an Evil Charming baby…we shall see. If there is one, it will definitely be a LOT later in the story. **


	12. Sleep Tight, My Darling

The bluebird visited Henry every day. And, every day, he fed it the same kind of whole wheat bread that sat atop Mary-Margaret's kitchen counter. This morning was different though. Emma had caught him speaking to the little creature, and watched in awe as her son allowed it to jump up onto his finger.

"See, Mom?" Henry asked with a wide smile. "He's my friend."

Emma sighed. "Henry, birds are pets. Not friends." A loud, shocked gasp came from the bar outside of the kitchen.

"That is absolutely not true, Emma!" Snow scolded. "They are fiercely loyal." She averted her eyes and blushed a little. "And they will always find you."

* * *

The guilt stirred inside of Regina's stomach as she stared down at the Sleeping Curse. She had lied, right to his face, something she had tried so desperately not to do. But, it had to be done. Her faith was beginning to falter with every second, and she came to the dawning realization that, with her mother on her way to Storybrooke, it would be safer if she wasn't around Henry. So, in short, the curse was her last option, her very own scapegoat. The shiny black liquid swirled around the glass mixing glass she had retrieved from a cupboard in the kitchen. She tried to decide exactly what it smelled like, but the tangy, yet bitter scent it gave off was too much detail to know exactly. Eventually, she had decided that it smelled like death. Or what she thought death would smell like.

Either way, it look and smelled disgusting.

Hands shaking, Regina set the glass down on the counter and turned her head over her shoulder after hearing a set of loud footsteps stop behind her. "Hello, Reuben."

"Charming told me." He exclaimed breathlessly. His blonde hair stuck to his masculine forehead, and the tiny beads of sweat erupted from his pores and dribbled down his cheeks, mixed with worried tears. He thought he had been too late when he saw her set the glass back on the counter. "You can't do it, Gina. You won't wake up."

"You're damn right I won't!" She turned her body fully so that she was screaming directly at him. "And you want to know why? Because my True Love, because Daniel, is dead! He's dead Reuben! He's never coming back! Do you know how long I have had to deal with that? Do you know how long I have been hurting?" She paused to take a deep breath, only it came out staggered because she had begun to cry. "I can't take it anymore! The chances of me seeing my son again are slim to none! If the red room is the only way I'll be able to see him, then hell, I'm not going to let you, or Charming, or my mother stand in the way!"

Reuben made large strides to stand in front of her. "Regina," he whispered, using her full name for once. "We are going to find a way to get you back to Storybrooke. Safely. And then we shall deal with your mother, if I have to kill her myself, so help the gods, I will do it." She was trembling as she collapsed into his strong form. "And Charming, well, I think he is being genuine. Let Daniel go, move on, be happy, Gina. Daniel would want that." He gripped her arms and forced her to look him in the eyes. "Daniel would want that."

"I can't, Reuben." She shook her head, causing the tears that stained her cheek to fly off and land on the floor.

"Yes, you can. Gina, love again. I'm not saying to forget about Daniel, I would never say that. He will always mean everything to you, I understand that. But you have a man out there who is crazy for you, and I can tell that you are just as crazy about him….so honor Daniel and find True Love again. He would want that for you." Reuben watched her face crumple as she nodded and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Is everything okay in here?" Came a deep voice from the large stone arch that served as a doorway. The accented man nodded, still holding onto Regina's form.

"I think I managed to talk her out of it." Charming released the breath he hadn't even realized he was holding and went over to wrap his arms around Regina. She looked up at him with fearful eyes, but she wasn't able to form words. Her eyes followed her best friend as he silently smiled at her and left the room.

James held his grip around her waist. "You had me very worried there. You know?" She managed a nod, but her eyelids were getting heavy. "I—Regina—I…" He paused, uncertain of how to form the words, but he managed to keep his eyes directed to hers. "I love you." He finally choked out.

It was quiet as he waited for her response, but she stared at him with an open mouth. Her legs gave out from underneath her, and she let her whole weight fall into his body. Mistaking this as a hug, Charming squeezed her, but Regina's head lolled on her shoulders. "Regina?" He asked, but there was no response. "Regina?" There was nothing. He quickly glanced around the room until his eyes landed on the emptied mixing glass, stained with the blackened Sleeping Curse. "Regina!"

**Oh, yeah, didn't see that one coming now did you? I know, I'm evil…but you still love me...right? Or was that just too many feels? LOVE DECLARATION ON ONE SIDE! YAY! Okay, so I will update hopefully tomorrow. I know this was a short chapter, but it just seemed right to end it there for now…**


	13. One Last Time

There were tears, lots of them, and there were questions like "Why?" and "How?" but those had been almost immediately answered. Henry and magic. James looked down at Regina lying on the white loveseat in her chambers. "Regina," he muttered. "What have you done?" Her skin was pale, and while it was normally already so, this was the pale of death. There was no color on her face, she had no breath, no pulse, no movement. It scared him. He inwardly sighed and brought a hand to touch her cheek and pushed away some of the stray strands of hair.

He wished he could do something, but really, there was nothing he could do. Her True Love had died ages ago, and the last time he had checked, Snow was still his True Love. He hated that, not Snow, but the fact that he couldn't save Regina, and she was the one that needed saving the most. Not from any monster or evil, but from herself.

* * *

Regina awoke with her cheek pressed up against stone flooring, and she quickly pulled herself to her feet. The room was filled with mirrors; there was one for each section of the wall and then countless more in their own replications. She could see her own reflection in the glass in front of her, only it wasn't her. She was the queen, clad in a broad, long sleeve, red dress that hugged her waist tightly, a black corset was laced over it. Her hair was pulled into a twist that hung in loose curls over one shoulder, and atop that, a small, black hat. It had been one of her favorites, and looking at herself now, she could see why. The woman in the glass smiled slyly back at Regina, and she turned away quickly. There were more reflections, different ones on each surface. Some were her in her best, and some were her worst. And some were just her. She liked those the best. It was just simple Regina. There were no black and white, it was grey; untouched by the ruled of the outside world….unbiased to the terms "good" and "evil." It was just…Regina.

What struck her as odd, as she took her time to look around at all of the reflections, was that Regina found no doors in the small room. She supposed that, since it was a curse, there would be no escape, and she settled for what she was prepared to face. Sitting back on her haunches, she lowered herself to the ground and sat in the middle of the stone floor. She couldn't even bask in the cold it provided because it was warm. Hotter in some places than it was in others, but warm and uncomfortable all the same.

"Wait," she muttered under her breath. She slammed her fist into the ground, cringing at the pain, and was excited to see that it resounded in a hollow knock. She pulled herself to her feet quickly and began stomping them repeatedly on the floor. It started to crumble underneath her, and before she knew it, she was falling to the clear flooring below.

The flames were high and bright. A red that stung her eyes as it reach for the top of the ceiling. It was hot, uncomfortable, and she constantly found herself skittering away from the fire that threatened to burn her alive. She winced when one licked her arm and left its mark. The flames jumped from the ceiling and downward, defying the laws of gravity and physics, but that was what magic did. Regina grumbled before stepping through some of the flames in search of Henry. "Hello?" She shouted, but she received no answer. "Great."

* * *

Henry sat in his bed, holding the trinket that kept him from being hurt in the Red Room. Lately, he had debated on taking it off entirely and seeing what happened, if he could still control his subconscious. He knew it wasn't the best idea, but it was one, and while tempted to do it, he decided against it and gripped the pendant even tighter.

Within a matter of minutes, Henry found himself standing in the corner of the Red Room. The flames were higher and dangerous, more so than he had ever seen them. He closed his eyes, and when they opened, the room was fire-free and cooling down. From the corner of his eye, he saw someone move, a woman with dark hair that reached her shoulders. "Mom?" He gasped. She turned around with wide eyes.

"Henry!" Her feet carried her faster with each step until she reached him. She swung her arms around him, but they went straight through him. "No…" she whispered. Her panicked eyes met Henry's.

"Mom, it's okay." He voiced. It soothed her, when, in reality, she was the one that should have been soothing him. "Where are you guys?"

"My palace. James…" she paused and smiled. "He's alright."

Henry was about to say something when realization dawned on him. He snapped his head back up and looked her directly in the eyes. "Mom," He paused and squinted his eyes at her. "How are you here?"

Regina stopped breathing for a moment. "Sleeping Curse." She managed to choke out. Henry gasped, eyes turning dark and tears welling up.

"No." He protested. "No. No. No. No. No. No… How are you going to wake up?" Henry had started crying, sobbing, and Regina had never felt worse.

"I'm not, Henry." When he stopped crying and stared at her, her heart stopped. "The chances of me getting back were slim to none….with my mother standing in the way. I couldn't risk her using you, Henry."

"No, Mom."

"Henry, I'm sorry. I am so sorry. It is…unlikely…that we would have made it home, and I wanted to see you one more time." She pleaded, more for her sake than his.

"But…Mommy."

"Henry, never forget that I love you, okay?" He nodded, noticing that he was beginning to wake up. "You mean everything to me…I only wish that I had never been the Evil Queen…that way…that way you wouldn't be so…disappointed in me."

He was shaking his head profusely. "I was never disappointed, Mom." His form was beginning to fade. "No, no! Mom! I love you too!"

"Goodbye, Henry." Regina whispered after his form had completely disappeared. For once, she let herself crumple and fell to the floor. Her sobs echoed against the walls as the fire picked up around her, stronger than before.

**Okay, well...I think I have actually managed to shatter my own heart...if that's even possible. I will...hopefully...update tomorrow. Review and tell me what you think or i you have any suggestions. **


	14. Burns

"No!" henry screamed and jolted up in his bed. Almost immediately, the sound of heavy footsteps racing up the stairs reached his ears and he looked around at Emma and Mary-Margaret nervously. Emma ran over to his side and pulled the young boy into him, almost as though it were she who should have been holding on for dear life.

"Henry, what's wrong? What happened?" She cajoled and smoothed out the stray tufts of hair on his head. He leaned into her touch to stop the crying, but tears soaked his cheeks anyways. "Henry?"

"She's not coming home, Ma… Mom…she's not coming home." Sharing a glance with Snow, the blonde turned back to the young boy.

"What did you see, Henry? Did you talk with Aurora again?" When Henry shook his head and buried it further into her shirt, she sighed heavily.

"Sh-she went under the Sleeping Curse!" He cried after a few moments of silence. "She…sh-she said she wanted to see me one m-m-more t-time. She's not coming h-h-home. Ev-v-ver." Emma squeezed Henry tighter and glanced at Snow. She had braced herself against the wall, a hand to her heaving chest, and frowned at her daughter. _Gold's_, Emma mouthed once she was sure she had Mary-Margaret's attention. The short-haired brunette wasted no time grabbing her purse and flying out the door.

* * *

"What can I do for you, Dearie?" Gold grinned as he caught wind of the young woman. Snow held a hand up to silence him and began talking.

"Regina…she went under the Sleeping Curse. How can I get back to the Red Room?" Gold paused upon hearing the words. _Regina… _He looked around the shop in search of Henry, but found his answer in the boy's absence. _Damn. Poor Henry. _"Can. I. Get. Back. To the. Red. Room?" Snow repeated as her anger rose.

"Uh…Yes, I believe you can." Snow breathed a sigh of relief when Gold disappeared into the back of his shop, and straightened when he returned with a bottle in his hand. "This is Sleeping Powder. It should allow you to go into a deep enough sleep to get to the Red Room. I cannot guarantee that Regina will still be the—"

"That's fine!" Snow exclaimed hastily and grabbed the powder from his hand. "Thanks, Gold."

"You owe me a favor, Dearie!" He shouted after her quick form, but she was too far to hear him.

* * *

"Emma! Emma!" Snow yelled as she opened the door, only to slam it shut once she was inside. "Emma!" She scurried around the room quickly in search of her daughter before she found her holding a crying Henry. His face had turned red, eyes puffy, hair stuck to his forehead in clumps. "I'm going to the Red Room."

* * *

James sighed as he picked up Regina's other hand. Reuben had come in to check on him multiple times, but it had been hours since he had moved. He was in desperate need of a shower, and possibly a good night's rest, but he refused to leave Regina's side to sleep. He rubbed her arm gently.

It wasn't until he felt the rough patches on the underside of her forearm that he stopped, though. He raised her arm over her head and pulled down her sleeve. Red patches of skin lined her limb, some bubbling, others turned a dark purple in color. He resisted the urge to wake her, for he knew that would do no good, and set her arm down gently so that the burns did not touch anything.

"Reuben!" The tall, blonde man, having been waiting outside of the door, came barreling in babbling incoherent questions. "Go get eight bags of tea out of the kitchens, boil some water, and get mint leaves. A lot of them." The man asked no further questions, nor did Charming speak any more.

He stared at the burns, unable to keep his eyes off of them, until Reuben came back only moments later with the supplies. "Go get some oats." He demanded before adding a small "Please." And then dropped the tea bags into the boiling pot of water.

After the mixture cooled down, he had added the oats and stirred it together before soaking the tea leaves in it and putting it on her burns. He had learned the remedy when he was younger and his dad had still been around to teach him that kind of stuff. He had used it often, usually after burning himself on the fires or metal rods he used in his home. His mother had always smiled when she saw him making the mixture, even though it saddened her to see him hurt. James smirked at the memory and finished dressing the wounds that occupied her arms. "There, all better."

* * *

How long she lay in the middle of the burning room, Regina did not know. She knew it was hot, though, and she had several places on her body that the flames had licked and burned her, though they had started to tingle less with every moment. Sweat poured down her face until the flames died down, and cool air began seeping in through an invisible opening. Realizing that this was what happened when Henry had visited, she stood on weak knees and looked around the room. "H-Hello?" Her throat burned from thirst, and instead of the rich, regal tone she always used, it came out weak and croaky.

"Hello?" Someone spoke in a soft voice. "Henry?" Regina whipped around, and, seeing a silhouette through the remaining smoke, ventured over to the farthest corner.

"Who is it?" She called, unsure of whether or not they could hear her. The silhouette grew clearer and clearer.

"Regina?" The voice belonged to a woman, she realized, and sighed. She had hoped to see Henry again. When the woman came into view, she gasped.

"Aurora."

**Yeah yeah, I know it's short….but it's a transition chapter…and wellll. Those aren't usually very long. I will update later, either a lot later tonight, or tomorrow, and it will be much longer. Pinky promise. Review and tell me what you thought, and leave some suggestions. Got quite a few that are going to play into what happens in the future, soooo beware. **


	15. Hope

Regina's mouth dropped open at the sight of the princess, who looked right back with the same unexpected shock laced over her face. "Aurora, what are you doing here?" She knew it was a stupid question to ask; the woman had been having dreams of the Red Room since she had met her, and just because she herself was in it, did not make it an exception to the people she knew. Her mind drew blank, remembering that the girl was lost and somewhere with Cora. "Where is my mother keeping you?"

Aurora cocked her head to the side and furrowed her brows slightly. "How did you get in here, Regina?" When the other brunette shook her head and shot her a questioning look, she continued. "A small hut on the outskirts of George's old kingdom. Regina, I don't understand, how are you here?"

"That's not important. How is Cora holding you? Magic?" Aurora nodded her head. "Did she…did she take your heart?"

"Yes." Regina growled and ran a hand through her sweat-dampened hair. "How are you in here, Regina?"

"Sleeping Curse." She mumbled in response. "Listen, refuse any deals she gives you….fight as hard as you can, Aurora." Regina frowned when the girl began to disappear, but the thought that she had gotten her point across gave her some comfort. She kneeled, resting on her knees before she brought them to curl under her. It was useless to stand the entire time, her energy had already begun depleting, and the fire touched her more and more with each passing minute. Some of the pain had passed, specifically on her arms, and she was sure that it had to do with James. The thought brought a small smile to her lips, and she closed her eyes to mentally replay the memories in her head.

She had remembered what he had said before she went under, "I love you." His voice replayed in her mind every second, and was nearly all she could think about besides Henry. She only wished that she could have said it back, because with the time she had to think by herself, hours, or possibly days, she had found that she loved him back. He occupied her every thought, whether it drifted back to her lost son or not. His voice was the only thing keeping her sane inside of the box of fire. _So, this is what Hell is like. _She thought sarcastically.

* * *

"No, you're not going in there." Emma protested and made a leap for the capped bottle of powder in her mother's hand. Snow pulled the decanter out of the blonde's hands however, and sent her an angry glare.

"I am your mother, and I will do as I please. I am going to that Red Room, Emma. Whether you like it or not." With that being said, Snow uncapped the flask and threw the dust into her face. Almost immediately she began to feel dizzy, her mind fuzzy, and eyes tired and heavy. Emma groaned inwardly and gripped her arms to pull her over to the bed, where she laid her down. By the time the sheriff had pulled the covers up and over her head, Snow was already sound asleep. Her chest rose and fell with each deep breath, and though she was still asleep, she began mumbling little nothings every few seconds or so. Emma sighed heavily and turned around to go and check on Henry.

He hadn't stopped crying for almost four hours, and, while Emma loved the kid, she didn't know how Regina handled him when he was upset. She sat down beside him and draped an arm around his shoulder lazily. "Hey, listen, Kid." Henry sniffled before nodding his head. "We're going to bring her home. I made a promise, and I intend to keep it…"

"Really?" He slurred through another sob.

"Yeah, Kid. Really."

* * *

"Regina!" Snow called when she reached the Red Room. She gripped the pendant around her neck all the more closely and watched as the flames around her died down in protest to the cool breeze that blew through. Through the smoke, she caught sight of a huddled form on the floor. "Regina!"

When she reached her, she gasped. Almost her entire body had been burned, save for her legs that were still covered in brown leather. She gripped under her arms tightly and pulled the coughing woman to her feet. "Snow? Wh-what are you doing here?" Regina gasped when another coughing fit took over. They had become more frequent, but it didn't surprise her. She could only expect so much in a room filled with fire.

"I came to…help you…get out of this place." Regina quirked a brow. "You can't stay in a burning room forever, Regina. I won't allow it. How did you get in here?" When her step-mother pointed to a gaping hole in the ceiling, she chuckled lightly. That was so typical of her, or at least the her she used to know. "Come on, we're going to get you out of here."

"How?" Regina asked, still clearly confused. When Snow held her hands, clasped together, in front of her, she shook her head. "Oh… No."

"Come on, Regina…do you really want to stay here forever?" She took a moment to ponder Mary-Margaret's words. No, she really hated the room, but she would not accept help from her worst enemy. It was simply unacceptable. Snow, however, seemed to catch her moment of hesitation and smiled. "That's what I thought…the ceiling isn't that high, Regina. If I can give you a small boost, you should be able to climb through the hole." In an attempt to coax her, she stuck her hands out farther and wriggled her fingers.

"Fine." Regina grumbled. She blacked a booted foot in her hand and tucked her elbows into her side. When Mary-Margaret finished counting down, and she felt the large push she gave her, she jumped up and flung her arms out to grab the opened up ceiling.

"You got it?" Snow asked, peering around Regina's hanging form to see if she could climb through.

"Yeah," came her muffled response. She pulled herself up so that her underarms gripped the flooring, wincing at the pain, and pushed off the ground with her hands. When she was up and safe from the flames, she rolled onto her stomach to peer down the hole, but Snow was already gone. "Thank you." She muttered under breath with a small smile.

The room was relatively the same, save for the giant hole in the floor that was beginning to close itself up now that she had returned to the cursed room. The floor, compared to the Red Room, was cool, and she took her time to lay on her back and enjoy the change of weather. Her clothes were still scorched, and her arms were still burned, but she was away from the fire and that was all she needed. She sat up, resting back on the palms of her hands, and looked around. The women in the mirrors were still the same, some good, some bad, others neutral.

Except for one.

There was one sheet of glass that had no reflection, not even when she stood in front of it. The mirror itself was intricately decorated with beautiful golden engravings; edges had been lined with what appeared to be diamonds, and on the top, in a regal setting, sat a delicate ruby. Regina raised a shaky hand and pressed it to the glass. An image began to appear, and she gasped, reeling her hand back and placing it by her side. The picture, however, continued to form until she realized it was of her. She placed her hand back onto the glass and watched as a bright light began to shine from the middle of her forehead.

It grew brighter until she could no longer see, until she was forced to look away, and even then, the flare continued to grow. She brought her other hand to her eyes, to shield her vision from the painful glow that suffocated her.

And then, she could breath.

* * *

James removed his lips from hers, sighing when there was no wave of magical energy, or blast of True Love. He had failed her.

He stood on his feet, wiped away his tears, and turned to leave, when a sudden gasp reached his ears. He spun around and knelt beside her, gripping her face in his. Regina smiled widely at him as he leaned in and kissed her hard. She momentarily forgot about the burns that sent painful shrills up and down her body, and kissed him back. When he pulled away, she laughed. "I love you too."

He was shocked, utterly silenced. He had woken her up, he had done it, he had saved her. But what did that mean? "I-I don't understand. There was no burst of energy. How did…how did you wake up?"

"Oh, dear," she grinned. "I think that happened on the other side…how long was I asleep?"

His smile vanished, and in a desperate attempt to remain strong, he averted his eyes downward. "A week."

"A week?"

"And a half."

Regina shook her head in disbelief. Time was confusing in other realms. "I-I don't know what to say, David."

"Don't say anything." He smiled. "I'm just happy you're awake." He brought a hand to smooth away the hair that covered her face before leaning in and kissing her slowly. "I love you more." He teased when he pulled away.

"Not possible." Regina laughed with a shake of her head.

* * *

"Emma!" Snow shouted when she jolted away. "Emma!"

The blonde hurried down the stairs, taking two at a time much like Henry. "What? What's wrong? Did you speak to Regina? What did she say?"

"She didn't say anything….I helped her out of the Red Room, though." Snow sighed. She stilled wished it didn't have end like that. There had been so much more she had wanted to say, but so little time to say it.

"You got her out of there?" Henry piped up. His eyes widened with the rumor of new tears…happy tears. He hugged his grandmother's waist tightly when she nodded. "Thank you."

Maybe there was hope after all.

**It's not as long as I hoped, but it's happier! Yay! Happy! Review and leave me a suggestion:) I'll try to update tomorrow.**


	16. Protection

Regina felt his lips press to hers as David slid his hand up the back of her leg to rest on the small of her back. She instinctively moved in closer to him from her spot on the soft bed. "Mm," she smiled into his kiss. "Good morning."

"Morning." He returned the lighthearted grin before rolling to his feet and pulling on the grey trousers that lay in a heap on the floor. "We have a busy day."

"I know, but can't I sleep some more?" Regina puffed her lip out as she sat up, bringing the covers with her. When James laughed and shook his head, she groaned. Throwing her legs over the edge of the bed, the former queen pulled on her riding jacket and jodhpurs, laced up the black boots that had been thrown on over them, and ran a lazy hand through her tangled hair. It had gotten longer, now hanging just below her shoulders. "What first?" She asked as she tried to reel her mind away from the distracting thoughts.

"Reuben and Mulan have gathered the supplies we need to search George's kingdom, but I—" She abruptly cut him off with a hand raised in the air to stop him.

"There's a cabin about three hundred paces from the transit road linking my kingdom to his….It's where Rumple taught my mother. I'm sure that's where Aurora was talking about." David didn't miss the way her shoulders fell forward with the realization that she was going to face Cora again. Nor did he dwell too long on the prospect, knowing that talking about it would only cause her more stress. He placed a hand on her shoulder and rubbed soothing circles over her back. "We better get going."

Without another word, Regina grabbed James' hand and waved her arms around them. Purple smoke filled the air and disappeared as quickly as it had come. In its wake, it left the two in the middle of a beautiful green field. Trees lined the edges of the meadow, and in a large break of the forest line sat a small wooden cottage. It had to have been over two centuries old, for the shingles were falling off and the green door that marked the opening was crooked. "Some place your mother has." James remarked snidely after he wound his fingers through hers. Their hands, still linked, dropped to their sides between them in a comfortable position.

"Oh, believe me. The inside is much nicer…the old look is just a façade." Regina paused. "Rumple and Cora were never ones for subtleties." She took a step forward, dragging David with her in the process. He stopped, however, to pull her back. Their lips met briefly before she pulled away and smiled.

"Are you sure you're going to be alright?" He asked timidly. Regina nodded her head.

"It's nothing I haven't dealt with before….besides," she waggled her fingers in front of his face playfully. "Now I have magic." The childish display drew a short chuckle from the two adults before they reluctantly made the short journey through the thick grass.

True to her word, the interior of the shabby shelter was grand and beautiful. The floors were marble, the ceilings were high, the plates were pure china, and even the silverware that skirted the mahogany table were encrusted with fine jewels. "Told you so." Regina muttered under her breath.

"Yeah, I can see that." James bit back through a frown. If not for the fact that, no matter the beauty, the place was chilling, the prince might have once desired to live in such a home. He couldn't keep his eyes from wandering over the silk curtains and golden framed mirrors. "It's beautiful."

"Thank you." The icy voice echoed from the walls behind them, and the couple spun around quickly to face the woman dressed in blue, elegant robes and regal garbs. "I was wondering when I would see you again. I mean, honestly, Regina? How was this not your first guess?" The imperial, old woman paused briefly. "But, I suppose you're not here to see me."

"Where is she, Mother?"

"The princess? Oh, she's in the cellar. Been there a while. She won't be of much use to you, Regina."

"What is she talking about?" David glanced briefly over to the brunette woman. "Gina?"

"She has her heart." Regina stepped forward bravely. "Mother, give her her heart back and let her go. Your quarrel isn't with the brat, it's with me."

"Such brave words, darling. I suppose I could let her go…but what fun would that be?"

"Lots. Please, Mother?" Cora tsked as Regina, hands behind her back, opened the palm of her hand and felt around for the magic in the air. It tingled at her fingertips until she could feel it. The bright, beating organ in her palm. James, having noticed this, took the heart from her and quietly put it in his pouch as she distracted the older woman with her taunting words. "Oh, and what you did was good for me?" He heard as he finished buckling the bag.

"I only ever wanted what was best for you. Why could you not understand? I loved you, Regina!" Cora all but shouted at her daughter.

"Oh, that's funny, as seeing you don't have a heart." Regina quipped, finger pointed at Cora's chest. "Come on, David. We'll think of something else." Stunned and little shocked by her defeat, James grabbed her hand as she transported them back to her chambers. She plopped herself down on her bed almost immediately to allow some comfort. "Well, that was fun."

"What the hell was that? What about Aurora? So what? Now we have her heart, we're just going to leave her there?" Regina stifled a laugh before standing back up and moving over to where he stood.

"No, Handsome. Come, follow me." She laced their fingers together and led him down the spiral staircase and into the dining room. "See?" She giggled, pointing at the princess who sat with Reuben and Aurora.

"Wha—" James looked from Regina to Aurora and back again.

"I went over this with Reuben yesterday. I transported them to the cellar right when Cora found us. They freed her, I got the heart, and we left."

"And why was I not informed of this?" He thundered after a moment before smiling and pulling her in for another quick kiss. She laughed wholeheartedly and playfully pushed him away.

"Your shock had to be genuine." Reuben interceded with a wide grin. He noticed their hands and the way that Regina seemed to visibly relax under his touch, and he was delighted with it. If it weren't for the fact that he was like an older brother to the woman, he would have been patting James on the back and congratulating him. However, he was like her brother, and he had to be wary of the prince. He couldn't hurt her, not like Daniel's death had. Reuben feared she wouldn't make it out of that.

When Regina had finally engrossed herself in detailed conversation with the warrior to his right, he motioned for Charming to join him in the other room. After he stepped out and closed the door, he turned to the shorter man. "Don't you hurt her, Prince."

Charming was taken aback. He opened his mouth t speak but found it void of all words. "I swear to the gods, if you hurt her, I will kill you. Don't doubt that for one second, Charming."

"Got it," he managed to muster out after a moment of silence. He suddenly felt sick to his stomach, like a teenage boy out on his first date with a cop's daughter. It was thrilling and terrifying all at the same time. "But I won't hurt her."

"You better not." Reuben paused before he smiled. "Now, how about some beer, eh?"

"Yeah," Charming squeaked. "Beer."

* * *

Emma had noticed the change in Henry…it was almost bipolar. One week he was depressed and moody, but the very next he had started acting as though he didn't miss Regina at all. Eventually, she had decided to confront him on the peculiar change in mood. "Henry." She called from the couch in the living room.

"Yeah?" He answered, barreling down the stairs to meet her.

"Can we…talk?" Henry nodded and took a seat beside her. "It's just…lately I've been noticing…that you don't seem to miss Regina anymore. Is there something I'm missing here?" She quirked an eyebrow and rested her shaking hand on his knee.

"What? No! I mean, I miss her…but Grandpa will find a way home, and then I can give her True Love's kiss, like you did to me, and then she'll wake up. We'll be okay again." He told her cheerfully. She had to admit that the optimism and hope the young boy put into everything was surprisingly uplifting, yet completely unrealistic. Still, she couldn't bear to rain on his parade.

"I hope you're right, Kid."

**Okay, I know it's still a short chapter. I didn't expect to need ANOTHER transition chapter, because finding Aurora…let's face it guys, it ain't THAT important. Sorry to all of you who like her. **

**To anyone who is confused on the times, just in case, the Red Room, in my mind is a completely different world where time passes EXTREMELY SLOW, as you can tell. James and Regina have been in the Enchanted Forest for two months their time, which, also in my mind, correlates to six months Storybrooke time. Just in case you were confused. Because another week and a half passed for her in the Red Room after Henry marked on the calendar, so time has also passed in Storybrooke, so I just thought…you know… I hope this steadies it all out for now. But if you have any questions, FEEL FREE TO ASK! **

**Now, I would like to thank all of you reviewers. And those who I talk to in the PM. There's like…two of you. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! It really makes my day having conversations with you guys. **

**Review and leave me any suggestions you may have. I like reading them too. They're very heartwarming and confidence boosting…if that's a term? Oh, well. It is now. I'll try to update Tuesday:)**


	17. Let Me Tell You a Story

"Hello? Is anyone here?" Henry gripped the glowing, blue necklace even tighter in his small fists. It was the first time he had visited the room since he had seen Regina. Silently, his eyes trailed upward into the room he knew her to be. "Hello?"

"Henry?" He whipped around towards the feminine voice. "Is that you?"

"Aurora!" Without thinking, Henry made the three long strides over to her. "How is my mom? Does she have any burns on her from the room? Does she look okay? Is she going to be alright?" He babbled. Aurora smiled and bent down to his level, an eyebrow quirked at his speed. "Do you think I'll be able to wake her up?"

"Henry," she paused. "Regina is awake."

"What?" He stopped, eyes widening as his face paled. "B-But…how?" His shoulders suddenly felt lighter, brain clearer. Happiness filled him with the sudden news, but he knew not to get his hopes up about her return. She was far from returning, and on the off chance she managed to defeat Cora, it didn't mean she would figure out how to open a portal. But Henry had to believe that she could….good always defeated evil, and now that Regina was on the side of good, he had to believe that she would make it home. He needed her to make it home.

Aurora, not sure if Regina would appreciate her telling Henry about Charming, skirted around the question. "We will all know soon enough." She saw Henry's figure begin to fade and uttered a small goodbye before she was left in the room by herself.

Henry sat up with a jolt. Although sweat creased his forehead and slowly dribbled down the side of his face, he was relatively cool, but he supposed that was from the cool breeze that blew in from the open window. A wide smile clung to his cheeks and his hands—set in his lap—fidgeted with the fingers from the other. "Ma!" He shouted. "Snow!"

Footsteps sounded up the maple stairs in loud echoes that rung through his ears. "You okay, Kid?"

Henry nodded. "Yepp. My mom's awake."

Emma looked over her shoulder to Snow, eyebrows raised and lips pursed. "Henry," she started. "I know that sometimes when we miss a person too much—" However, she was abruptly cut off by the loud protests of the young boy laying on the bed in front of her.

"No!" He yelled. "I talked to Aurora. She told me that mom was awake." Henry could see, though, that Emma was not convinced. Her eyebrows still reached for her hair, and her lips, although they weren't pursed, sank into an unknowing frown. "You don't believe me…" He pulled the covers over his short-clad legs and made for the stairs. Before either woman could prevent it, the apartment door opened and slammed shut again.

Henry ran down the stairs of the apartment building and out the clear glass door. The streets were empty, save for the few dwarves and Red that laughed and hollered on the corner. They briefly saw him, but he didn't respond to their calls as he ran into Gold's Pawn Shop. "Rumple!"

"Yes, my boy?" The once creepy man looked up from the catalog over to the panting Henry that huffed right inside of his shop. "What can I do for you?"

"My mom, Regina, she's awake!" Rumple laughed heartily. "You don't believe me either!" In all honesty, Rumple never doubted the boy. He believed that Regina was awake; he didn't know how, but he believed it. The woman never ceased to amaze him, what with all the times she had managed to conquer even though she was too weak to stand.

"No, dearie. I believe you…It was bound to happen one day, I'm just surprised that it was Regina who managed to do it."

"Do what?"

"Wake up from the infamous Sleeping Curse without her True Love." He drawled in a high pitched voice, much like the one he used in the Enchanted Forest. He missed those days greatly. Henry, however, opened and closed his mouth in search of the right words to say. He hadn't known that his mother had a True Love, and it was definitely news to him.

"Mom had a True Love?" He squeaked after a moment of silence.

"Oh, yes, my boy."

"Wh-what was his name?" Henry took a seat in one of the bean bag chair in the back of the store, Rumple in the one across from it.

"Daniel." Gold told him. "He was her stable boy."

"My mom rode horses?" When Gold nodded, he sat back and allowed him to continue. "What happened to him?"

"That is most certainly not my story to tell. Wouldn't want your mother getting angry with me when she returns." He laughed. Henry sighed and got up from his beanbag, thanked the man, and left through the same door he had come.

However, he was not about to return home. After he closed the shop door, he took a sharp right and bee lined to the playground Regina had built in the woods. Since she had disappeared, and his castle had been torn down, the relatively new and recently unused play house had become one of his favorite dwelling places. After scanning through his book, he had realized that she had designed it like her own palace. He smiled and raced to the top of one of the towers, his red bag swinging over his right shoulder.

Once Henry had gotten situated, he heard the unmistakable, loud chirping from the deck above him. "Lil' Blue?" He called, only to be answered by more chirping. There was the faint sound of fluttering wings and then, in a flash, the small blue bird had seated itself on his book edge. Without wasting any time, he pulled a piece of bread from the red sack and tore off pieces to give to the bird. "Hey, Lil' Blue."

* * *

Since they had saved Aurora from her mother, Regina had begun to notice a change in Charming. He seemed….withdrawn. Which wasn't like him. He was usually all over her until the day before when he had distanced himself. He stopped flirting, stopped holding her hand, didn't kiss her every three seconds. It worried her. Had she done something wrong? Was he still upset about the Sleeping Curse? No, it had been one of the best things to ever happen to her…so why should he be angry, then?

Aside from her general curiosity over the matter, Regina knew one thing. She was beginning to get very annoyed over his carefulness. Something had happened to change David, but she didn't know what, she didn't know why, and she didn't know how. They hadn't gotten into any fights over anything that she could remember, so there shouldn't have been a why. But there was and she was dead set on finding it. "David," she called from her seat on the white sofa. He looked up from the map he was staring at briefly before shaking his head and looking back down. Regina opened her mouth, shocked. Balancing on her own two feet, she silently walked over next to him. "David." She said, a little more forceful.

"Yes?"

"Are you okay? You seem…different."

"What do you mean?" He mulled, but he knew exactly what she was talking about. He had changed…well not changed. But he certainly was terrified after his talk with Reuben. The prospect of hurting her had scared him, and he didn't think he wanted to hold that power in his hands. Regina groaned after his prolonged silence, so he turned form the map, hands behind his back, and faced her. "I'm sorry, Regina." He leaned forward and placed a tender kiss to her temple before turning around to work once more. Regina sighed heavily and quickly left the room, the irritation obvious on her face.

Reuben, who had been watching the exchange silently from the round table in the center of the room, stood once she had gone. "I said don't hurt her." He drawled. "Not leave her."

"I'm trying not to hurt her." Charming spat angrily. He didn't like having to keep his distance. He wanted to be right there beside her.

"By leaving her? Real smart, Prince." Reuben finished and left the prince to his work. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Regina running down the spiral stairs and into the foyer. She was angry…more than angry. She was hurt.

Her legs carried her faster though his stomping feet followed her, but he eventually gave up and let her be. Regina wandered aimlessly through the halls, trying to calm herself, but nothing work. Deep breaths, clenching and unclenching her fists, even breaking priceless artifacts she had gotten before the curse. None of it. She silently cursed under her breath until she heard the faint sound of whispers from the dining hall. "I'm telling you, Aurora, Philip is gone. There is no coming back from death." Regina knew she was intruding on their conversation, but at the moment, she didn't care. Company seemed nice.

"Hello, Mulan. Aurora." She nodded. They quieted down and welcomed her into the room.

"Regina, I spoke to Henry this morning." Aurora smiled as Regina froze in the seat she had taken. "He knows you're awake, but I didn't tell him how…so don't worry." She seemed to relax at those words. At least Charming was still a secret.

"I heard you talking…" she started. "About Philip? Who was he?"

Aurora visibly stiffened. Her dress crinkled and her eyes darkened. "My True Love. He was…" She stopped…couldn't go on.

"Oh…I'm sorry I brought it up. The wraith, I suppose?" Mulan nodded. "You know…I lost my True Love as well."

"But…Charming—"

"His name was Daniel." Regina began. "He was my family's stable boy when I was seventeen. We were going to runaway together and get married…but he…died."

"How?" Aurora spoke for the first time in minutes. She could see the pain in the former queen's eyes, pain that she could relate to, and she couldn't quite stop herself from wanting to hear more.

"My mother…she ripped his heart out."

"No…" the princess whispered in horror, but Regina simply nodded her head. It was becoming easier to talk about his death…in such a casual way that frightened her.

"But your Philip is not gone, dear." She smiled.

"What do you mean?"

"The soul can be returned to the body. Lake Nostos should do the trick, as it will do for the bean." At Aurora's smile, Regina couldn't help but allow the corners of her mouth to lift up slightly.

* * *

David frowned a little when he heard the three women talking in the dining room. He knew Daniel was such a large part of Regina's life, but he couldn't stop the pang of jealousy that rose from the pit of his stomach. Turning on his heel, he silently marched away from the scene before he could get even more upset.

Reuben was waiting for him back at the war room when he arrived, face fallen and mouth pulled into an unset frown. He plopped heavily in his chair, unable to stand on two legs any longer than was necessary. The way she talked about Daniel, the way her eyes revealed her pain that she could so easily conceal from the rest of the world, from everyone except him. He hoped that one day, he would be able to take the pain from her, but for now, all he could do was be there. Charming looked down at his hands, open in his lap, then back up to the burly, blonde man sitting on the opposite side of the room. "She was speaking of Daniel." He muttered, and Reuben's attention suddenly focused completely on him. "She was so in love with him…"

"That she was." The warrior answered. "They were so in love."

"Yo-you knew him?" When Reuben nodded, Charming raised is eyebrows in expectance of an explanation.

"He was my best friend." He whispered sadly. "They grew up together, but I…I joined their servant force when I was just fourteen. My father died and, shortly after, my mother, so there was no other place for me to really go. Daniel saw me on the side of the road one evening and took me to the estate, where I handled the weaponry for Prince Henry's guards…that's how I met Regina."

"Tell me about her…when she wasn't queen." Charming pleaded.

"Well, I'd have to say she was the most stunning human being I'd ever laid my eyes on…and Daniel thought so too! He told me everything….how kind she was, how caring and generous…how beautiful. It wasn't until we actually met that I began to believe him. She was alive, perhaps the only person in that wretched place…apart from Daniel and myself…that actually knew what they wanted. She wanted freedom, Daniel wanted her, and I just wanted family. And I think for the most part, we all got what we wanted…until Daniel died.

"Then she married the king, and she was allotted five spots for royal servants, and she picked me. Just me. I was her personal guard, and on many occasions I kept her from murdering the young Snow White. She was losing her mind in that place…slowly, I could tell it was eating her alive from the inside out…I was like her brother, so I noticed these things…until one day she just…snapped. It all happened so fast, David. I couldn't stop it, but there was some of that old 'Gina in there. Still is, if you ask me….she just needs help getting back to herself." When Reuben finished his story, Charming noticed he had gotten rather tired, and excused himself for bed. However, he found, after laying down in the comfort of his mattress, that sleep was not an easy thing to come by, and didn't submit to it until many hours later.

* * *

Emma found herself sitting at the bar of her apartment much earlier than she had planned. She had woken up on the couch before the sun even peaked through the horizon, and after attempting to get more shut-eye, got up and made herself a small breakfast. That was when she heard it. The faint chirping of a bird right outside the window. The blue caught her eye, and, standing up quickly, she slid on over to the window sill. It creaked open until the little bird hopped on, and she stuck her first finger out just enough for it to climb. "Are you the bird Henry keeps talking about?"

She received a chirp as an answer and was about to respond when the bird jumped off and flew throughout the apartment, stopping at the door and squawking loudly. She opened the door to let it out quickly. It chirped until she followed it.

Lil' Blue, as Henry called him, led her to the cemetery, up to a giant white building that sat in the middle of it. "Really? Regina's mausoleum?" Emma asked before opening the broken door. The bluebird flew in ahead of her and sat on the tomb to look down up the scratches that had been etched in the floor. "What?" She asked, looking upon them. Emma placed both hands on the cement and pushed until it slid over to reveal a hole in the floor. She stood straight, hand on her hips, amusement on her face. "Well. I'll be damned."

**Okay, I know, not a good place to end it, but I'm so tired. I'm not going to use the "Busy" excuse, because honestly, this time, I was just lazy. Hahaha. Anyways, enjoy, review, and I'll update soon! **


	18. Dead Man

The black, concrete stairs that led down the vault seemed even darker with the ever-looming shadows of the underground. Emma cautiously made her way through the hallways, down each narrow corridor until she reached a door. It was wide, decorated with black markings and swirls that dignified its regal setting. She opened it slowly, and it creaked with the sudden movements. The room the entrance led to was light, brighter than the rest of the blackened cave. It smelled of apples, and even though the walls were still concrete, they had been painted heavily in white. The floors, as well, were different, being a more polished marble. Large furniture lined the area, most of it black, and from the ceiling hung a reflective chandelier. Emma's mouth hung open in shock, but albeit, a little in fear.

There was the slight sinking feeling she had to get accustomed to, because, while Regina was indeed away, she couldn't get rid of the pit in her stomach that told her to get out fast. However, she ignored the warning and continued on her way through the cavern. Books sat comfortably in their respective shelves, and vases littered the tables with flowers that Emma could only guess came from her garden. It truly was beautiful.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a shadow, a dark room that suck out from the light. Mindlessly, Emma stepped into the room, gasping at what she saw. She pulled her phone from her red, leather pocket and dialed for Mary Margaret. "Sno—Mom? Yeah, it's Emma. I need you to get to Regina's mausoleum…now." She listened to the reply on the other end. "Well, there is a dead man lying in a glass coffin….Yeah. Okay. See you in five." Her finger hit the end button before she was able to take another breath, and she ran a hand over the cool glass. "What did she do to you?"

* * *

David stepped quietly into Regina's study. "Regina?" He called out, only to be answered by a dignified huff. "Can I speak to you?"

She turned around in the large chair by the desk. "Yes."

"Are you mad at me?"

With a nod, Regina responded. "Yes."

"Oh," was all David could muster. "I know…" he paused. "I know that it seems like I have been avoiding you, lately….because, well, I have."

The former queen scoffed indignantly at the remark, but the prince only raised a hand to silence her. "After I woke you up, I talked with Reuben, and he made me realize something." From the look on her face, he continued quickly. "That, right now, my greatest fear is of hurting you. And I don't like having the ability to hurt you."

"So what?" She scoffed in return. "Now you're just going to leave?" He didn't missed the tears that silently passed over her face and landed on the top of the smooth satin nightgown she was wearing. Nor did he miss the pained expression that came and went before she thought his eyes could see it.

"No," David chided. "No, no. No, Regina. I love you, and that…that will never change. All I am saying is that I'm scared….of hurting you."

Regina laughed. A whole hearted laugh that both lifted the man to her right's heart and shocked him all the same. "Dear, you couldn't hurt me if you tried." Her defensive mechanisms had gone up, and her face was void of any exterior emotion, but he could see through it. Whether she was the Evil Queen or not, he had always been able to see through her walls. And she, his.

That was why they worked. They completed the other.

Charming strode over to where she sat regally in her chair, then knelt between her legs. His firm hands grasped hers before raising them to his frowning mouth as he gently placed a kiss upon the crown of her knuckles. "Don't lock me out, Regina. It never ends well, for either of us."

Regina sighed when he stood to back off, giving her enough space to breath and cool down. He had always been cautious, just not in the most visible way before. "James," she called as he swung the door open to leave. He turned around with a curious expression on his face. "I love you."

And a smile graced his lips.

"I love you too, Regina. I'll see you in the morning?"

"I should say so." She retorted with an apologetic smile, but she knew that the problem had been resolved, hopefully.

* * *

"Emma?" Loud, thunderous footsteps boomed from above as they followed the obvious trail to the cavern below. "Emma, where is he?" Snow asked once she had reached her daughter.

"He's just through here." Emma opened the door to the white room and cautiously led her mother through to the shadowy room. "That's him."

"Oh," Snow's mouth set into a tight "O" as she stared down at the man in the coffin. Tears threatened to leak from her eyes, and suddenly she felt the need to get out. She turned on her heels and sped from the chamber. But she couldn't seem to get far enough away from the dead man, it seemed, and before she knew it, Snow was on her knees, head buried into her hands, and choked sobs escaping her body.

Emma followed her mother as the anger boiled inside of her. The man must have been somebody Snow cared deeply for, and the fact that he was dead and in a glass coffin….she was sure Regina was going to pay one way or another. She watched with a solemn expression as the brunette continued to wrack with painful sobs on the vault floor, but she couldn't move towards her. Comfort had never been her forte.

But payback had.

**I know, I know. Such a long wait for such a short chapter, and I apologize a million times over. I am trying to get them all updated, and this was not supposed to be the end of this chapter. It was a pain to write, especially if any of you are like me and have to be in a certain mood to write…I don't know why…butttttt. Yeah. **

**I promise I will try to get everything update more frequently. Sorry for the…uh…11 day wait. WAIT WHAT?! Holy chiz….eleven days. Wow. Like I said I will update more….swear.**

**Until…Wednesday. I love you all, thank you for the reviews, review some more, and I will update soon. **

**SUGGESTIONS ARE BEING GREATLY APPRECIATED:)**

**Heh. K Bye.**


	19. Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

"Regina, I just don't understand….why can't we go home now?" David whined as he turned over on the soft bed to face her. She giggled when he puffed out his lower lip before tapping him on his nose. "I mean, all we have to do is throw Philip into the lake, right?"

"No, we have to get rid of the ogres first." Regina grinned when he groaned, but she leaned forward to kiss him anyways. When his arm snaked around her waist to deepen the embrace, she slapped it away. "We have a bus day ahead of us….we should get dressed. The Dark Castle is a long ways." But she didn't move. David leaned in to kiss her once more, only she rolled away and stood before his lips reached hers. "Rise and shine!" She laughed.

"You are a wicked woman." He pouted, but eventually, even the prince complied and stood. His feet fell into their boots almost perfectly, yet he didn't zip them. Instead, he let them flop around on his feet as he marched around the room as he got dressed.

* * *

The wind blew Regina's hair back and forth, momentarily distracting her from the uneasiness that settled in the pit of her stomach. Her heart raced even faster when she heard the crackle of magic at her fingertips; the Dark Castle was not a place she had ever wished to visit. It made her feel uncomfortable, dangerous. It made her feel broken.

James, noticing the worry on her features, reached down between them and grabbed her hand. The concern that once marred her face had almost immediately disappeared and was replaced with a somewhat peaceful expression. She looked up at him and smiled before squeezing his hand and mouthing a small "Thank you." in his direction. He quickly returned the smile, but offered no words of condolence, for he knew none that would suit her situation. Of course, David knew that returning to the Dark Castle would be difficult, for Regina had been trying not to use magic unless they really needed it, and he could only imagine that the overwhelming presence of the tool was tempting…very tempting.

They stepped through the tall grass that grew almost all of the way up to Rumple's front door; it scraped gently against the clothing that covered their legs when it blew with the wind. "Think it's unlocked?" David asked when he placed a hand on the door.

"Rumple was never one for complicated locks." Regina scoffed with a wave of her hand. The door flung open without even a creak, so the couple gracefully stepped into the room.

She had to admit that Rumple was definitely one for interior décor. The castle wasn't nearly as dark as she'd thought it would be, but she supposed that it had probably been from the earlier time when he had Belle to do everything. _Belle_. Her stomach jolted inside of her body, and she had to resist the urge to throw up.

"Regina," James called. "This the book you were looking for?" In his hands, he held up a large, brown leather book that glowed with the surge of purple magic. It popped and crackled repeatedly.

"James! Put that down! I said don't touch anything." She tore the book from his hands to look at the purple residue that had been left over. "Dammit, David….hold on, this may hurt." Regina placed her hands over his, shaking her head at his confused expression before she jolted her magic and he yelped in pain. She took in a deep breath through her nose to help subdue her own. "You okay?"

"Yeah…." He breathed. "What the hell was that?!" David picked her hands up to look at them. They were welted and bruised all along her fingers. "Regina!"

"You picked it up! Not me! Besides, the blemishes will be gone by tonight...their magical." She turned her back to him so that she faced the book that had been thrown on the table, her hand hovering above the cover. A bright light lit up the foyer of the Dark Castle, followed by a loud pop. "Ah!" Regina whimpered. She retracted her hand from the unlocked cover to inspect it, but not before James grabbed it.

"What happened? Are you okay? Do you need to sit down?" He asked with worry. She merely smirked and shook her head. "You sure?" Once he was satisfied with her answer, he allowed her to return to the book.

The pages turned of their own accord, like the wind was blowing them from the open door, but the air was still and silent, aside from the magic that cackled along the walls of the room, taunting her and screaming at her. "Here," she sighed when she finally found the page she had been searching for. "A banishing spell…that should keep the ogres away for good, actually."

"Great, then let's do it." David sighed, but he noticed the look of concern that crossed her eyes and caused her to furrow her brows. "What? What is it?"

"This spell is extremely powerful…I don't even think Rumple could accomplish it." A frown clung to her face heavily. "I-I can do it."

David shot his head up to stare at her in shock. "No, you cannot!"

"Yes I can. I just a little help is all." Regina protested tiredly.

"Regina, we don't know any other people who can perform this powerful—Oh, no. No,no,no. Regina, you can't be serious!" His voice raised a few notches, and she could see the sides of his face turning red with anger.

"I am, David! It's the only way to get rid of these ogres!" Regina turned to walk out the door, but James grabbed her wrist and swung her around.

"Where are you going?"

"To find my mother." Purple smoke swirled around her feet until it covered her whole body, and he leaped forward to try and get to her. However, she had already disappeared, and he ended up landing on the floor through the smoke.

* * *

Regina appeared in the doorway of the cottage that sat right in the middle of the field. The interior was still grand, though it had been slightly rearranged. She stepped inside and called out through the house. "Mother?" Her voice echoed off of the walls and expanded through the rooms.

"Hello, Darling." Regina whipped around, only to find the space behind her empty. She turned back, jumping when she caught sight of Cora so close. She had appeared only inches from her, and she looked as menacing as ever.

"M-Mother."

**This chapter was incredibly hard to write. It took me three days to get the first sentence down. How pathetic is that?! Sorry for the long wait…no one's updating…WHERE IS EVERYBODY?! I'm waiiittinnnggggggg:) Thank you to those who reviewed, review and I'll update soon. I shouldn't have writer's block on the next few chapters, so they should be longer….Hopefully. And the wait won't be so long. **

**So, again, read review, and I will update sometime this week:)**


	20. She's Not Evil

David stared at the empty doorway, half-way contemplating whether or not to go after her. Regina was stubborn, not stupid, and if she knew she was going to be alright, then he knew that he would be alright. Half-heartedly, the prince turned around and began to search through the stacks of useless junk for something to entertain him.

* * *

"M-mother." Regina closed her mouth before the older woman had the chance to scold her for gaping. "I-I didn't expect to find you so soon."

Cora grinned evilly, turned, and slinked back into the corner of the room to her chair. She swept her dress under her before she sat. Her legs crossed over each other gracefully, and a pale hand raised to beckon Regina over to her. The fiery brunette followed skeptically, her movements staggered, nervous.

"What brings you here, Regina?" Cora smirked. Her bright red lips curled upward to reveal her pearl-white teeth.

"I need your help with a spell I found it that old book Rumple always carried with him." Regina admitted, but her breathing remained short and sharp as her body relaxed. "A banishing spell."

"And what makes you think that I would need, or want, to help you?" Her mother quipped. Regina sighed; she knew she would that.

"Because, mother, if the ogres are gone, you'll have complete power over the villages. Right now, you're second priority, hell, maybe you're fourth or fifth. Point is, once those monsters are gone, you can have power. That's all that matters, right?" Cora smiled, a selfish smile that made her daughter shudder. When she nodded, the young brunette released a breath she hadn't even realized she was holding. "Where is this book?"

Regina raised a hand and summoned the magical dictionary. It appeared just above her fingertips, still a glowing purple in color and splayed wide open. The page was still turned to the spell, and when she set it on the table, Cora's eyes widened along with her smile. She ran a hand along the delicate page, across the words to the very end.

"We can do it." The old woman grinned. She turned her head back to her daughter. "Let's get going."

The two women reappeared in an open field, their arms full of the necessities to perform the powerful spell. Regina's heart dropped into her stomach when she saw Cora. Her mother looked possessed by dark magic. Her eyes were a glowing purple, darker than hers had been, but vibrant with the love for the craft, and it scared her. It had consumed her mother, it wouldn't be long before it consumed her too.

The sun was just under the hill, and it painted the sky in beautiful oranges and purples that radiated off of the dew on the trees and grasses. Magic crackled in the air, popped with every added ingredient. Sweat rolled off of Regina's forehead and onto the sleeve of her riding jacket, and her boots were slick with mud, but they were almost finished.

Cora allowed the last of the pixie leaves to fall into the fire, and the flames roared, growled at the trees as they reached for the sky. The magic turned it a putrid green in color, but it was still just as hot, if not hotter, than a normal fire. The sound of heavy feet plummeting onto the ground filled the air until the ogres occupied the vast field.

They groaned and screamed in unison as the smoke from the flame encircled the field. Regina and Cora had long since disappeared, but the spell continued to enlarge, until ever ogre was wailing in pain as the magic disintegrated at their already harsh figures. With a loud pop that resonated against the trees, the beasts were gone, vanished into the thin, cold air of the night.

* * *

Regina waltzed in through the large double doors to her chamber to find David snuggled into the covers of her bed. She smiled and slid under the covers beside him. A sudden urge of confidence washed over her, and she leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. His eyes fluttered open in shock, but upon seeing her face, a smile graced his lips, and he captured hers in a bruising kiss.

"The ogres shouldn't be a problem anymore." She breathed after he had pulled away. David nodded, his arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her against him. Regina rested the side of her face on his shoulder and brought her own arms up to hold onto his arms. "David?"

"Yeah?" He answered.

"I'm scared." Her voice was small, like that of a child, and he couldn't help but pull away to look at her in the eyes. "What is everyone going to say when we get back to Storybrooke?"

The question struck the prince with more force than he though it would. Of course, it had been eating at his mind, but he had managed to push it away. Now, though, it was out in the open, and there was nothing he could say to soothe the fear in either of them. David held his breath for a few seconds, his heart beat faster beneath Regina's fingertips, and eventually, he mustered up the courage to answer her.

"It won't matter what they say, because I love you."

Tears streamed down her face at his answer, and Regina found that she couldn't stop the silent, body-wracking sobs that left her lips. She looked up at him, smiling just as he was. Their lips connected for only a brief few seconds, neither tried to push it further than need be. When she pulled away, she looked David in the eyes. "I love you too." He squeezed her tighter, pulling her flush against him, and her head met his solid chest. Her arms remained bent at the elbows, palms flat against him, and for the first time in a long time, both found sleep to come easy.

* * *

"What do you mean you killed him?" Emma asked through clenched teeth from her seat on the small couch in the middle of the even smaller apartment.

Snow took a deep breath, dried her tears with the sleeve of her polyester cardigan, and plopped down in the white chair across from her daughter. Her cheeks were painted with red to match her lips and nose, and the very same color turned up in rings around her eyes. Her breathing, that had once been so steady, hitched once again with the threat of more sobs, but she held them back long enough to answer her daughter.

"He is dead because of me. I-It's all my fault. He's why she hates me, Emma!" Snow screamed as she tried to even out her breathing. "That's Daniel! That's Regina's True Love, and he's dead because I couldn't keep my goddamn mouth shut!"

Emma's eyes widened at the truth. "What do you mean…h-how?"

Snow covered her face with her hands. "Because! Because I wanted her to be with her mother, and I told her she was with Daniel, and she killed him! Don't you see? If I had just…if I had just stayed away from Cora like Regina told me to, then she would be happy. She warned me, and I didn't listen, and because of that, Cora ripped Daniel's heart out and crushed it right in front of her!"

"So you're the reason my mom is evil?" Came the small voice from up the stairs. Both Emma and Snow spun around to see Henry at the top of the wooden steps holding his 'Once Upon a Time' book. His eyes were wide with tears, and a few escaped and slid down his pink cheeks. He came barreling down the stair-case, his feet hitting the flooring with a loud "thump!" before he raced out the door.

He shoved through the door to the building, ran through the streets up to Gold's shop. "Rumple, is it true?" Henry shouted.

The impish man stumbled out from the back room with Belle on his tail. "Is what true, dearie?"

"Is Daniel dead because of Snow White?" Rumpelstiltskin sighed heavily, sending Belle back to the library before he could face the young boy.

"There is much more to the story, my boy. It's rather…complicated, but partly, yes." He finally answered, and Henry threw the large, leather-bound book onto the shop floor.

"It's all lies! She's not evil! My mom is not the Evil Queen!" He cried before he ran out of the store.

**Well, there yah go. I'll try to update sooner, I know I promised, but I have been super busy lately, and I'm going to be even busier for the next month, but the update should keep coming. **

**I HAVE A STORY TO RECOMMEND! It's by the amazing author Chelseadaggz, it's called Shadow of Love, and it is absolutely amazing. Every body go read it!:D **

**Review, and I'll try and update by the end of the week. Leave me suggestions, cause I'm dying here, guys.**


	21. Always and Forever

Henry sat at the old, ransacked castle that he used to play on, where he first told Emma about the curse. Sure, there was no playground there anymore—not since Regina tore it down—but the small swing they had set up on a patch of woodchips suited him just fine. His legs hung over the little, round plastic seat that rested on the end of the rope; it made a comfortable place to sit, swing, and think. Thinking was all he ever did lately, it was all he could do. The young boy didn't know if that was what bothered him the most, not being able to be the hero he wanted to be, or being helpless with no way out of the situation.

No, he hated being helpless. Regina had taught him to use his resources, to do whatever he could, and that was what he had been doing. But all of his resources were gone, along with his mother, along with David, and along with all hope for the good and evil in the world. He couldn't tell where it was anymore, the once prominent line between good and bad. It was thin now, shaded with parts of grey that he neither recognized nor accounted for. But he didn't see his adoptive mother on either side. She wasn't in the black, bottomless pit of anger and revenge, and she sure wasn't where he had once thought Snow _White _to be. She was grey, all different shades of it that stretched from the lightest to the darkest, but never completely white, and never completely black.

She wasn't evil. She was lost.

Henry had known that for some time. Sure, he hadn't actually ever acknowledged the fact that he thought that there was some good in Regina, but deep down—really, _really _deep down—he had to have known. Because how was she supposed to find her way back if no one even knew she was lost in the first place?

Decidedly, Henry swung his red backpack over his shoulder as the swing stopped moving. It sat upright in his lap with the zippers down. Papers had been shoved, sometimes crinkled, into the small knapsack, but he rummaged through the dirty bag anyways.

His fingers gripped the coarse page he had been looking for, and he ripped it from the notebook in one clean tear. There was a picture—one he had drawn not to long after finding out about the curse himself—of Regina and him: her dressed as the Evil Queen, and him cowering in the corner. The title had been written clearly on the top of the page in his scribbly scrawl—_The Evil Queen—_and Henry found himself looking a little deeper to find a crayon.

He scratched out the middle word, replacing it with _Lost _above the x's. "So now you just have to find your way back to me." He whispered.

* * *

"Regina!" David called. "Come on! Come on! Get up!" The prince shook her shoulder that had been covered up with the warm fleece blanket that now sat on the floor. "Regina!"

The woman in question cynically groaned, rolling over onto her stomach with her head buried into her pillow. "Come on, Regina. It's been three days. Aurora is getting rather restless." Regina rolled back onto her side, pushing herself up with her arms and sitting against the headboard. A small moan escaped her lips as a hand came up to cup her forehead. Her eyes burned from the morning light that leaked through the many cracks in the drapes that were supposed to cover the windows, and it made her head throb in the aftershock of a hangover from the night before.

David laughed heartily at her reaction, and it wasn't long before he found himself marching over to her side and scooping her up in his arms. Her own wrapped around his neck as she clung to his body, and the two made their way down to the foyer where Mulan and Aurora had supposedly been waiting only moments before. "You liar." Regina mumbled under her breath, and she looked up to glare at David.

"Hey! They were just here." He argued, and the woman in his arms scoffed.

"I'm sure. Now put me down." Her bare feet hit the floor, and she instinctively pulled down the mid-length nighty before marching across the room. "You little shit." She laughed breathlessly after not having caught any sight of the two princesses. Her arms crossed her chest angrily, and with a loud huff, she turned to face the shepherd-gone-prince. "I could still be sleeping…you'll pay for that."

David raised his arms, hands beside his head, and chuckled. "Sorry. Sorry, I had to get you out of bed somehow. Giving you something to do seemed like the best option."

Regina smirked cruelly before she reached behind her slim figure and retrieved a decorative pillow from one of the many ottomans lying around the foyer. It flew from her quickly outstretched arm—aimed directly at the conniving man in front of her—and hit the prince square in the face. He stumbled back, still not completely aware of what had happened, but not completely oblivious.

"Hey!" He shot back, but the short brunette had already taken off down the long hall to his right, laughing loudly at her actions. He shot forward on slightly shaky legs, but he was still fast none the less. His arms gripped the edge of the wall, and the daring man swung around as he followed Regina through the vast castle.

David had to hand it to her. She was quite fast for her size, and he had expected her to be easy to catch. However, Regina was light on her feet, and being short had its many advantages. She ducked under tall furniture, slipped through small cracks between doorways, and managed to evade her prince for what seemed like hours.

Eventually, the two made their way to the kitchen, breathless and sweaty. Regina took shelter behind a metal countertop. Her arms reached out and gripped the edges, and David mirrored her on the other side, a smile on his face as he watched the playfulness ignite in her eyes. "Got you." He smiled.

"Not yet, you don't." Regina smirked devilishly. She reached for one of the fruit bowls on the counter, oblivious to the fact that it had been full of cream and bright red strawberries when she threw it. It splattered all over the counters, spraying David and herself in the process, though her follower received more of a beating than she. The mess was enough of a distraction for her to slip out before he noticed, and she sped down the corridor as quickly as she could.

"You little…" David murmured. He looked down at his shirt, now covered in red and white goop as squished strawberries hung messily from the sleeves. They fell onto the floor in large clumps.

It was when David noticed the lack of laughter that he realized Regina's absence. The door behind him had been left swinging open, and in the distance he could hear her cackling and loud footsteps. He smirked and shook his head before taking off laughing after her.

* * *

David had heard the door slam shut only moments before he got to it, so he wasn't exactly expecting the room to be completely empty when he walked in. However, Regina wasn't behind the door, she wasn't in the closet, she wasn't under the bed, she wasn't hidden away in the personal on suite bathroom. The man was completely stumped, as smart as he may be.

He turned quickly at the sound of laughter, but there was no humanly presence to accompany it. His tolerance was growing thin, and he could feel anger boiling beneath his skin. "Okay, Regina. You win. Come on out. I won't…attack you. Promise."

"Oh, yeah?" Came the deep, sultry voice. "Cause I'm pretty sure you promised that Aurora and Mulan were downstairs this morning." David whipped around again.

"Regina, where are you?" He called out, decidedly joining the joke.

"Here." He heard from behind him. His body spun around, but no one was there.

"Where?" He shuddered when he felt a hand ghost across his shoulder blades, when he felt the invisible hand run along his face, shutting his eyes.

"Right here." Regina whispered, and David opened his eyes again just as she leaned forward to kiss him. Their lips met for a brief moment, although the touch could barely even be considered a kiss. It still meant the world to him anyways, and he couldn't help but smile at her gesture.

"I was beginning to think you left me." He pouted playfully, and Regina brought a hand to cup his jaw. It felt scratchy against the smooth skin of her hand, and she traced the outline of his lips with her thumb.

"I would never leave you." Her eyes never left his, and her hand never left his jaw, but his arm wrapped around her slim waist and pulled her impossibly closer.

"Promise?" He whispered through the short distance between their mouths. Before Regina could answer he leaned down to meet her in a bruising kiss. When he pulled away, it was with bated breath and puffy lips, and he searched her eyes for her answer.

"Always."

* * *

**Sorry for the SUPER long wait...been really busy. I hope you like this. I think they are getting a little closer to getting back to storybrooke, but things can't be happy forever, can they? READ REVIEW ENJOY AND I WILL UPDATE ASAP**


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